On Wednesday, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation [MOSPI] explained the resignation of two National Statistical Commission [NSC] members.
According to the information through the section of media said that the members had raised issues regarding the performance of the commission which included the release of the labor force survey data and also the GDP back series result. Although the members did not speak on these issues in any of the meetings held by the Commission during the last few months, MOSPI confirmed the above statement.
While on Tuesday, the two non-governmental NSC members namely PC Mohanan and JV Meenakshi have officially resigned citing the reason as the differences with the government over the performance of the Commission. Although there was a prediction in media that they were neglected by the commission from past few months in the middle of the conflict with the commission due to delay in announcing the new National Sample Survey Office [NSSO] result.
We have step downed from the NSC. From the past few months, we have felt that we were neglected by the commission and were not taking us seriously. The latest decisions of the NSC were not carried out- PC Mohanan said it to Business Standard.
The only non-government members in the commission were Mohanan and Meenakshi, and now the commission is only left with Amitabh Kantt, NITI Aayog Chief and Pravin Srivastav, the chief statistician as the only members.
The commission is not only positioned with high regard by the MOSPI but also respects its advice, and what particular action is taken, he stated.
Further explaining the delay in the announcements of the labor force survey data, the Ministry informed that the Periodic Labour Force Survey [PLFS] was created to provide annual rates of the labor force related to unemployment and employment and also to provide quarterly rates of the urban regions. The quarterly data between the period from July 2017 to December 2018 is processed by the NSSO and the results related to it will be announced afterward, he included.
As far regarding the back series of the GDP is worried, the Ministry had been requested by the National Statistical Commission to finalize the date and publish it. By using the technique that was adopted during 2011 -2012 base year series the official estimation of the Black Series of the GDP were calculated respectively, and the Advisory Committee experts later accepted this technique on National Accounts Statistics, which is considered to be a valid proper body.
The techniques that were adopted by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation [MOSPI] mostly for the back series are now accessible by the public in the public domain, it stated.
