‘Surprised But Not Upset’: Former Chief Statistician on Sudden Stats Panel Shutdown by Govt, Hopes for Depoliticised Data
Ritika Chopra | 02 October 2024 | The Indian Express
The abrupt dissolution of the Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) took him by “surprise”, but former Chief Statistician Pronab Sen, who headed the panel, told The Indian Express that he is not upset as the decision indicates that the National Statistical Commission (NSC) is finally “reasserting” its authority, which could initiate “a process of depoliticising data”.
The NSC, established in 2006 based on the Rangarajan Commission’s recommendations, serves as the autonomous watchdog intended to ensure the quality of the country’s official data. It had been largely defunct for years, as the government failed to fill vacant positions after members quit in 2019 in protest against the non-publication of jobs data. The NSC regained its full complement of five members only this year…