What is involved in the dissolution of SCoS?

Union Ministry of Statistics Dissolves Standing Committee on Statistics

• The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has dissolved the 14-member Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS), led by economist Pronab Sen.
• The SCoS’s work overlapped with that of the Steering Committee for National Sample Surveys, led by Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar.
• The SCoS members questioned the delay in conducting the census, citing the importance of reliable data for policymakers.

Key Responsibilities of SCoS

• The SCoS advised the Centre on survey methodology, finalized the tabulation plan of surveys, and addressed issues related to all surveys.
• The committee also provided guidance for conducting pilot surveys/pre-testing, explored administrative statistics relating to surveys/statistics, and imparted technical guidance to Central and State level agencies for conducting surveys.

Role of the New Steering Committee

• The Steering Committee, which replaces the SCoS, has 17 members and one nonmember secretary.
• The committee retains at least four members from the SCoS, including Sonalde Desai, Bishwanath Goldar, S. Chandrasekhar, and Mausumi Bose.
• The committee’s tenure will be two years.

Pressure for a New Census

• Academicians and policymakers have been demanding a new census due to lack of fresh data and questions on employment and unemployment.
• The Ministry of Statistics has denied its role in deciding the date of the census.

Flaws in Administrative Data

• The Centre claims that data provided by the EPFO, ESIC, and Reserve Bank of India’s KLEMS database provided a rosy picture about the employment scenario.
• Questions have been raised about the threshold-based administration data and the chances of manipulation.

Urgency of the Next Census

• The country’s decennial census has been conducted every ten years since the 1870s, with the last in 2011.
• The 2021 census was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Centre has not provided a roadmap for the next census.