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-UK Vision 2035

The Indian Prime Minister's visit to London was indeed a significant diplomatic milestone, as it unveiled the India–UK Vision 2035 roadmap and formalized the Comprehensive Economic and T
Share It

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989

The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 is a critical piece of legislation designed to protect the rights and dignity of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled
Share It

Financial Inclusion Index

The Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index), as reported by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), is a key metric that measures the level of financial inclusion across the country. Overview of the Fin
Share It

International Seabed Authority

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is currently in the midst of negotiations regarding the extraction of metals from the high seas, particularly as U.S. efforts to fast-track this practice h
Share It

Election of Vice-President of India

Article 64 of the Constitution of India specifies that the Vice-President's post cannot remain vacant for any period of time, as it is essential for the functioning of the Rajya Sabha (Council
Share It

Maharashtra Scraps Hindi as Compulsory Third Language

The Maharashtra government recently scrapped its Government Resolutions (GRs) that mandated Hindi as a compulsory third language from Grades 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools. While the
Share It

River Pollution in India

The Delhi government's focus on cleaning up the Yamuna River is part of a larger national effort to rejuvenate the Ganga River and its tributaries, in alignment with the Namami Gange Programme
Share It

Infrastructure Failures

The recent collapse of the Mahisagar River Bridge in Vadodara, which tragically claimed the lives of 20 people, underscores the growing concern over India's infrastructure quality. Similar
Share It

Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

The Supreme Court (SC) is currently reviewing the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) process for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, suggesting that Aadhaar,
Share It

GM Crop

In ongoing trade talks, the United States is advocating for India to open its agriculture market to genetically modified (GM) crops. However, India has firmly rejected this proposal, citing concer
Share It

Newsletter Subscription


ACQ IAS
ACQ IAS