Daily News Analysis

India’s statistical performance on the global stage                     

stylish_lining

India’s statistical performance on the global stage                     

 

Why in the News?

India has been recently elected to the United Nations Statistical Commission which has raised the need to focus on India’s own official statistical system.

India’s statistical system:

  1. The World Bank’s compilation of Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI) ranked India at 67 among 174 countries in 2019. 
  2. Questions have been raised about the credibility of the statistics and the competence of the Indian official statisticians.
  3. The results of statistical exercises, such as censuses and surveys, have been claimed to be of poorer quality when compared to data from administrative sources.

The SPI and dimensions:

  1. SPI which assesses the performance of national statistical systems across 174 countries, is based on the assessment of 5 dimensions/pillars of performance: India’s score in 2019
    1. Data use- 80
    2. Data services- 88
    3. Data products- 60
    4. Data sources- 68.9
    5. Data infrastructure- 55
  2. India’s overall SPI score stands at 70.4, placing it in the 67th rank among the 174 countries assessed. 
  3. In Data use category,
    1. India performs well in measures assessing the comparability of estimates of child mortality, debt reporting, drinking water, and labour force participation (LFP).
    2. However, it lags by 20 points due to unavailability of comparable poverty estimates for the World Bank over the last 10 years (from 2017). This stems from a new comparability indicator introduced by the World Bank’s PovcalNet for poverty estimation.

An India assessment:

  1. The pillar ‘Data Products’ is based on performance around the essential data required for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • India has conducted the Multiple Indicator Survey and Comprehensive Annual Modular Survey in the NSS 78th round (2020-21) and 79th round (2022-23), respectively, for collection of data on SDGs.
  1. The pillar ‘Data infrastructure’ encompasses five sub-dimensions:
    1. Legislation and Governance- high scores as the national statistical legislation aligns well with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.
    2. Standards and Methods- moderate performance 
    3. Skills
    4. Partnership
    5. Finance- poor performance as India’s national statistical plan lacks full funding.
  2. Under data sources, three indicators are evaluated:
    1. Censuses and surveys- 100/100 for censuses and 86.6/100 for surveys
    2. Administrative data- low score of 50 due to non-fulfilment of criteria of at least 90% registration of births under the Civil Registration System (CRS). 
    3. Geospatial data
  3. In ‘Data services’ dimension, India gets full points for data releases and data services. However, enhancements can be brought in by improving
    1. Download options
    2. Providing more comprehensive metadata availability
    3. Open terms for data usage.

SPI score, its relevance

  1. India’s performance in censuses and surveys is superior in comparison to administrative data.
  2. A thorough examination of the SPI score is crucial as it facilitates
    1. Improvement and enhanced in international competitiveness
    2. Substantial rise in rankings can be achieved by identifying issues and establishing attainable goals.

India’s Import Curbs on Jute Products from Bangladesh

India has imposed immediate restrictions on the import of jute and allied fibre products from Bangladesh. These apply at all Indian land and seaports except Nhava Sheva in Maharash
Share It

GPS Interference

  GPS interference refers to deliberate or unintentional disruption of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, which are crucial for navigation in aircraft, ships, and ground transport sy
Share It

India’s Civil Nuclear Law Reform:

  India is revising its civil nuclear laws—the Atomic Energy Act (AEA), 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA), 2010—to: Attract private and forei
Share It

Secondary Pollutants

A recent study has shed light on an important aspect of India's air pollution crisis: secondary pollutants, which now contribute to nearly one-third of PM2.5 pollution in the country. These pollut
Share It

Myogenesis

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s Myogenesis experiments on the ISS represent a major leap forward in India’s space research efforts, focusing on the formation and regulation of muscle fib
Share It

Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS)

A scholarship scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan (PM-USP) initiative by the Ministry of Education’s Department of Higher Education. It Provides financial assistance to m
Share It

Khasi People

The Meghalaya High Court has admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the tribal certificate issuance for the Khasi community.This PIL challenges a government decision that has halted th
Share It

Similipal Tiger Reserve

Odisha High Court issued a notice to the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) over a ban on Munda tribals from accessing Jayara, a sacred grove inside the tiger reserve.This raised concerns ove
Share It

Begonia nyishiorum

A fascinating new species of flowering plant, Begonia nyishiorum, has been discovered in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, further highlighting the rich but underexplored biodiversity of
Share It

Asiatic Wild Dog

Asiatic Wild Dog A new study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has confirmed the return of the dhole (Asiatic wild dog) to Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Landscape (KKAL) in Assam, after being beli
Share It

Newsletter Subscription


ACQ IAS
ACQ IAS