The National Statistical Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), has taken several measures to modernise the official statistical system through greater use of digital technologies. Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) has been adopted for data collection in surveys using handheld devices with in-built validation checks. Survey operations are supported through centralized servers, real-time monitoring dashboards, GPS tagging of surveyed households and secure electronic transmission of data. Various stages of the survey process, including sample selection, field monitoring, survey administration, validation and data processing, have also been automated. These measures have improved data quality by enabling validation at the point of data collection, reduced the time required for data processing and facilitated faster dissemination of survey results. Administrative records are also being increasingly used in statistical operations, while geospatial technologies are leveraged, wherever feasible, to strengthen survey planning and monitoring.

Administrative datasets are being increasingly integrated with sample surveys for preparation of sampling frames and selection of survey samples. For instance, the GSTN database is used as the sampling frame for the Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises (ASISSE), while the Census 2011 village directory is used for the rural sector under the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE). The Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) uses administrative records maintained by the Chief Inspector of Factories and other statutory registration authorities for preparation of its survey frame. Similarly, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs database is used for preparing the survey frame for the Forward Looking Survey of Private Corporate Sector CAPEX Investment Intentions. The use of these administrative datasets has strengthened sampling frames, improved survey efficiency and contributed to the timely compilation of official statistics.

MoSPI has developed the Statistical Quality Assessment Framework (SQAF), based on the United Nations National Quality Assurance Framework (UN NQAF), 2019, to strengthen quality assurance in official statistics. The SQAF provides a comprehensive framework covering all aspects to ensure adherence to United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (UNFPOS) including aspects to infuse greater efficiency, reliability and accountability. To promote standardisation of metadata, the National Metadata Structure (NMDS 2.0) has been developed and shared with Ministries/Departments and States/UTs with the objective that data and information are uniformly represented, provide clarity on the data sources, collection methods and enhance discoverability of datasets. A Metadata Web Portal (MWP) has also been launched for hosting metadata, and Ministries/Departments and States/UTs have been advised to disseminate datasets along with their metadata. Further, a Compendium of Datasets and Registries, covering 287 datasets of 43 Ministries/Departments, has been published to improve discoverability and facilitate wider use of official datasets.

MoSPI has taken several steps to enhance public access and dissemination of official statistics. An Advance Release Calendar (ARC) is available on MoSPI website indicating the schedule for release of major statistical publications, thereby promoting transparency and predictability in dissemination. The eSankhyiki Portal serves as a single platform for dissemination of official statistics and currently hosts 29 statistical products, 913 datasets and over 137 million records, supported by APIs, data visualisations and metadata. The Microdata Portal has been revamped to provide access to anonymised unit-level data of more than 189 socio-economic surveys. The Ministry has also modernised its website with AI-enabled features and interactive dashboards and launched the GoIStat Mobile App to facilitate easier access to official statistics. In addition, reports, bulletins, factsheets and unit-level data are disseminated through the Ministry's website. Official statistics are further disseminated through multiple communication platforms such as newspapers, television, radio, digital and social media, podcasts on Sansad TV, exhibitions, collaboration with MyGov, explanatory videos, infographics and other multimedia content to maximize outreach and strengthen public engagement.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning and Minister of State in the Ministry of Culture Rao Inderjit Singh in the Rajya Sabha today.

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Samrat/