Latest news with #NationalSampleSurveys
The Hindu
22-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
National Sample Survey awareness event held
The Field Operations Division of National Statistics Office organised a community discussion and awareness programme with the people of Petchiparai village on Tuesday on National Sample Surveys. The event highlighted the benefits of National Sample Surveys (NSS) and aimed to foster a participatory data ecosystem by engaging the people of the village. The event was part of a nationwide initiative to raise awareness among the general public, particularly rural communities, about the importance and impact of the NSS in national development and policymaking. Assistant Director of National Statistics Office, Southern Regional Office K.T. Sudheer briefed the participants about the purpose of the programme and the legacy of the NSS, which has been instrumental in generating reliable data since 1950. He emphasised that NSS surveys cover a wide range of subjects including employment, consumer expenditure, health, education, and social welfare and provide essential data for both Central and State Governments in framing evidence-based policies. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from villagers, youth, women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs), farmers, school teachers, anganwadi workers and various community members. Over 150 residents gathered at the Community Hall, reflecting strong local interest in understanding the role of statistics in governance. Interactive sessions were held where officials from NSO explained how survey data is collected, the importance of accurate responses, and how this data shapes key initiatives like PM Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme and food security schemes. Participants were invited to share their personal experiences regarding government welfare schemes and how survey participation can help improve their implementation.
Hans India
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Full of failures, frauds, false claims: Cong chief Kharge on 10 years of Digital India
New Delhi: On the day the Modi government's flagship 'Digital India' initiative completed ten years, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday launched a blistering attack, alleging that the ambitious programme has delivered more "failures and frauds" than digital empowerment. In a sharply-worded post on his X handle, Kharge accused the Modi government of making lofty claims while hiding glaring gaps in execution, digital access and data security. 'The fine print of Modi Govt's lofty claims of 'Digital India' is marred by unfulfilled promises, digital exclusion, and weakened transparency,' Kharge wrote. Citing official data, Kharge highlighted that out of the 6.55 lakh villages targeted for broadband connectivity under the BharatNet project, only 35 per cent have been covered so far, despite the deadline being revised eight times over 11 years. 'Only 766 Gram Panchayats — just 0.73 per cent — have active Wi-Fi services,' he noted. The Congress chief also targeted BSNL's performance, pointing out that even after receiving three revival packages worth over Rs 3 lakh crore since 2019, the PSU has not completed the installation of 1 lakh 4G towers. He added that BSNL and MTNL's debt has ballooned by 291.7 per cent and 136.2 per cent respectively, between 2014 and 2024. Kharge didn't stop at infrastructure failures. He accused the Modi government of digitally excluding the poor and marginalised. Quoting National Sample Surveys data, he said 75.3 per cent of Indians above 15 years still do not know how to use a computer, including 81.9 per cent in rural areas. 'Even today, 54 per cent of government schools don't have an Internet connection, 79 per cent have no computers, and 85 per cent lack smart classrooms,' he said. Raising concerns about data security, Kharge claimed that India has witnessed over 10 crore cyberattacks since the Pahalgam terror incident. CERT-In data showed a 76 per cent spike in cybersecurity incidents between 2020 and 2024. He also accused the ruling government of undermining transparency, citing the weakening of the RTI Act and replacing it with a "flawed" Data Protection Law. Taking a swipe at the BJP for taking credit for initiatives launched by previous governments, Kharge reminded that it was the UPA government under Dr Manmohan Singh that laid the foundation for Aadhaar, UPI, and Direct Benefit Transfers. "Instead of glossing over national achievements, and trying to seek credit for 10 years of Digital India, perhaps you should reflect on the multiple 'failures' and 'frauds' inflicted by your government", Kharge said.
Indian Express
29-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
National Statistics Day: 5 things about PC Mahalanobis, who could decipher the stories data tells
June 29 is celebrated as National Statistics Day. It is the birth anniversary of Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, the father of statistics in India. Known as 'The Professor', Mahalanobis played a key role in setting up the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Kolkata and the Planning Commissions of independent India. Among his many gifts, the one that benefitted India the most was the ability to accurately and efficiently read the stories that datasets contain. Born in Kolkata in 1893 to an influential Brahmo Samaj family, Mahalanobis studied at Presidency College before leaving for London for further studies. However, he came back to India and spent his life in both setting up statistics — the science of collecting and reading data — as an academic discipline, and applying the academic knowledge to practical scenarios. Here are five snapshots from his illustrious life that will tell you about his contributions, and why you should care about them. Brain behind India's sample surveys The National Sample Surveys that India conducts have long been admired the world over for the granular data they capture about households. This information, about income, employment status, health status, consumption habits, etc. then informs policy decisions. It was Mahalanobis who in 1950 helped launch the first such survey. Nobel laureate economist Angus Deaton with co-author Valerie Kozel wrote in 2005: 'Where Mahalanobis and India led, the rest of the world has followed, so that today, most countries have a recent household income or expenditure survey… Most countries can only envy India in its statistical capacity.' In a country as huge and diverse as India, it was very difficult to get an idea of the actual living conditions of people across the length and breadth of the country. Mahalanobis did pioneering work in efficient sample surveys, which basically involve collecting information from small representative samples to get an accurate idea of the big picture. For example, interviewing a sample of say 50 families from rural and urban areas, of different religious, caste and economic backgrounds, living in different geographical conditions, can give a reasonably good idea of how the country at large is earning, spending, and living. India has Mahalanobis to thank for coming up with a method to do this and then implementing that method. In the world of statistics, Mahalanobis is best known for coming up with the 'Mahalanobis Distance' in 1936, which is still used for understanding and analysing data. Put very simply, the Mahalanobis Distance tells you how far from the normal or ideal a certain piece of data is. For example, suppose a survey looks at households with comparable incomes in a certain region and the health of the children in these households. All the children are likely to be at different levels of height, weight, haemoglobin, etc. The Mahalanobis distance can look at all these variables — income, health indicators — and flag if a child is an outlier, like being remarkably stunted for an affluent household. Two chance happenings Two of the most important decisions in Mahalanobis's life were made due to a missed train and a delayed boat. In 1913, after graduating from Calcutta's Presidency College, he went to England to study BSc. at the University of London. He made a trip to Cambridge, where he was awe-struck by the chapel of King's College. He then happened to miss the train back to London, and stayed the night at a friend's house. 'In the friend's house he met a student who was studying at King's College and, hearing that Mahalanobis found the chapel so attractive, suggested he apply to study there. Remarkably, he was interviewed the next day and offered a place,' MacTutor, a mathematicians' biographies collection maintained by the University of St Andrews, Scotland, says. Mahalanobis's tryst with statistics also happened by chance. His boat to India had been delayed due to World War I, so he had some extra time to spend in the library of King's College. Here, he came across the journal Biometrika. '…fascinated by what he read, he bought a complete set of volumes and took them back to India…He saw that statistics was a new science connected with measurements and their analysis…This was the turning point in his scientific career,' the MacTutor article says about Mahalanobis. Similar to Biometrika, Mahalanobis started the journal Sankhya in India. Work in flood prevention When Mahalanobis passed away in 1972, the great statistician CR Rao wrote his obituary for the Indian National Science Academy, and talked about Mahalanobis's early work related to floods in Bengal and Odisha. In 1922, a flood devastated North Bengal. The government was considering building expensive retarding basins to hold up the flood waters when the problem was referred to Mahalanobis. 'A statistical study of rainfall and floods extending over a period of 50 years showed that the proposed retarding basins would be of no value in controlling floods in North Bengal. The real need was improvement of rapid drainage… Specific remedies were recommended, many of which were implemented and proved effective,' Rao wrote. Mahalanobis made a similar study for Odisha in 1926, where an expert committee had concluded that the bed of the river Brahmini had risen, leading to floods. The statistical study by Mahalanobis 'covering a period of about sixty years showed that no change had occurred in the river bed, and the construction of dams for holding up of excessive flood water in the upper reaches of the river would provide an effective control,' Rao wrote. Mahalanobis even provided the first calculations for a dam project on the Mahanadi, 'which formed the basis of the Hirakud Hydroelectric Project inaugurated about thirty years later in 1957,' Rao wrote. In the 1950s, Mahalanobis was trying hard to get the new American computer, the UNIVAC, to India. In the book 'Planning Democracy', Nikhil Menon, professor at the University of Notre Dame, writes that the Americans were refusing his request because of Mahalanobis's political beliefs. 'India was unable to get a digital computer from the United States through the 1950s partly because of Mahalanobis' reputation as a Soviet sympathiser during the Cold War…The Indian government, like the Professor, remained unaware that the person spearheading the mission to bring computers to India was himself an obstacle,' Menon wrote. Menon quotes President of Brooklyn College, Harry Gideonse, to describe the 'threat' the Americans believed Mahalanobis was. Gideonse in a report described Mahalanobis as a person of 'exceptional personal charm and broad cultural background'. 'To me, Mahalanobis is far more significant than straight communist propaganda. He has personal and moral authority, apparent integrity, and an impressive command of relevant information. His ideas are in my judgment a direct preparation for an authoritative solution to India's economic problems,' Gideonse wrote.
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Business Standard
29-05-2025
- Business Standard
NSO to launch first-ever National Household Travel Survey in July: Mospi
The statistics ministry is slated to launch the first ever National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) in July at the behest of the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (Mospi) said in a statement on Thursday. The one-year survey, being conducted as part of the National Sample Surveys (NSS) 80th round, will collect information on day-to-day travel within the country and will provide a picture of the travel patterns and choices of people across all demographics. 'The survey is aimed at collecting information on how, where, and for what purpose people travel within India, which is critical for making informed decisions on infrastructure projects and public transportation systems,' the statement released by the Mospi on Thursday said. Addressing the two-day training workshop on the NHTS, NSO Director General Geeta Rathore emphasised the crucial role of the surveys in evidence-based policy making and stressed the need for high-quality, timely data. 'The critical data collected in this survey will aid in policy development and infrastructure planning,' the statement by MoSPI said. In addition, the NSO will also conduct the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES), which aims to collect detailed data on expenditure made by households on domestic overnight trips. Both surveys will cover the entire Indian Union, except for villages in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain difficult to access throughout the year.
