The upcoming National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) being undertaken by the National Statistics Office (NSO) will greatly support the Ministry of Railways in understanding travel trends across India and planning accordingly,” said Shri Dayanand, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Raipur. He was addressing the inaugural session of a three-day state-level training conference organized by the NSO at the New Circuit House, Raipur, from June 23 to 25, 2025.
Organized in preparation for the launch of the 80th round of the National Sample Survey, the conference aims to train officials for two significant nationwide surveys — the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) and the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) — scheduled from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Officers from all NSO field offices in Chhattisgarh are participating in the training.

Speaking as the Chief Guest, Shri Dayanand congratulated the NSO on the successful completion of 75 years of National Sample Surveys. He emphasized the increasing importance of reliable statistical data in policy formulation and governance. “Indian Railways, celebrating its 100 years of service, stands to benefit immensely from the outcomes of the NHTS. Conducted at the behest of the Ministry of Railways, the survey will provide valuable insights into passenger mobility and domestic travel behaviour. This, in turn, will assist in enhancing railway operations, infrastructure development, and passenger amenities,” he added.
Shri Dayanand expressed confidence that the data gathered through this national effort will not only shape future railway policies but also help improve service delivery across transport networks. He acknowledged the role of the NSO in supporting evidence-based policymaking and appreciated the scientific approach being adopted for data collection through the Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) method.

The event was presided over by Shri Altaf Hussain Haji, Deputy Director General, NSO, who also inaugurated the training conference along with Shri Dayanand and other dignitaries through a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony. In his address, Shri Haji reflected on the 75-year journey of the National Sample Survey and emphasized the importance of the current round in capturing crucial data on domestic mobility and tourism. He informed that data from NHTS and DTES will feed into national and state-level reports and aid in economic planning.
Other dignitaries present on the occasion included Shri N. Buliwal, Director, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Chhattisgarh; Shri Dinesh Tiwari, Deputy Director, Directorate of Economics and Statistics; Shri Rishabh Singh Shyam, Assistant Director, NSO Bilaspur; and Shri R.K. Srivastava, Senior Statistical Officer, NSO Raipur.

The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) is being conducted to study travel patterns — such as purpose, frequency, duration, and mode of travel — while the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) focuses on household spending on overnight domestic trips. The findings will play a key role in the development of India’s Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), reflecting the tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy.
The inaugural session concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Shri R.K. Srivastava, Senior Statistical Officer, NSO Raipur, who expressed gratitude to all dignitaries and participants for their enthusiastic involvement in the launch of the training initiative.

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