After concerns over GDP calculations and covid deaths, PMO is taking steps to improve the domestic and international confidence in India’s statistical system
In this brief rejoinder to G Raveendran’s article “Good and Bad Statistics” (EPW, 16 September 2023), the authors argue that there is no empirical or theoretical ground for treating rates and ratios from the National Sample Survey as more reliable, under the assumption of similar underestimation in the numerator as well as the denominator.
Interest pay-out of the government in the next financial year is expected to climb 11-12% from the ongoing fiscal 2024. The interest pay-out for FY24 is projected to be Rs 10.80 lakh crore. In the pre-Covid FY20, interest payment at Rs 6.12 lakh crore had accounted for 22.8% of the total expenditure.
The panel submitted a report to the NSC, which will suggest the way to take the process forward to the statistics and programme implementation ministry, they said. The move come after the ministry suggested leveraging big data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning in its revised draft of national policy on official statistics in August.