The move is part of a wider roadmap on improving quality of data in the country, which was formed by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation or MOSPI in discussion with the prime minister’s office.
The idea, one of the officials said, is to maintain more granular data on beneficiaries under various state government schemes on a regular basis that can be consolidated at a centralised location for easier access.
MOSPI is in discussions with state governments on sourcing the administrative data that would help in better assessing schemes and aid in targeting them. Data points such as the number of beneficiaries, age-wise beneficiaries, and the expenditure incurred, born out of administration of any scheme, comprise administrative statistics.
The official cited the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) data, where companies are mandated to register themselves and file returns each year, and the NFS data/portal (National Food Security Act) as an example of administrative data.
“All states will have to come on board for this to be effective,” the official said, adding that discussions are known.Lack of availability of data and also its quality has drawn criticism from multiple quarters including international experts over the past few years. “Granular data on beneficiaries can help target schemes better because it can show how effective a programme is on the ground,” the official said.The MOSPI is separately working with the states on revamp of the Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS) sub-scheme, planning for the 8th Economic Census, and compilation of state and sub-state level estimates for National Account Statistics (NAS), Consumer Price Index (CPI), and Index of Industrial Production (IIP) as part of the exercise to improve quality of country’s statistics.