Relevant for Prelims and GS paper 3:-
The order states that the proposed NSO would be headed by Secretary (Statistics and Programme Implementation), but skips any mention of National Statistical Commission (NSC), which has been the overseeing body for all the statistical work done in the country.
In one of its last decisions, the outgoing NDA government has decided to merge the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The order dated May 23, which has cleared formation of an overarching body — National Statistical Office (NSO) — through the merger of the NSSO and the CSO, is being widely perceived as a dent on the autonomy of the Indian statistical system.
The order states that the proposed NSO would be headed by Secretary (Statistics and Programme Implementation), but skips any mention of National Statistical Commission (NSC), which has been the overseeing body for all the statistical work done in the country. The order also does not equate the Secretary (Statistics and Programme Implementation) with the Chief Statistician of India as was done in the earlier resolution notified by MoSPI on June 1, 2005.
The 2005 resolution notified initiation of the setting up of the NSC along with proposing the single entity, National Statistical Organisation, as “the executive wing of the government for statistics” which would “act according to the policies and priorities as laid down by the NSC.” The resolution had proposed NSO with two wings, CSO and NSSO, while Thursday’s order states that the “statistics wing, comprising the NSO, with constituents as CSO and NSSO, to be an integral part of the main Ministry, with CSO and NSO to be merged into NSO”.
Also, the 2005 resolution had said that the NSO would be “headed by an officer of the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, who will be designated as the Chief Statistician of India and he will also function as the Secretary of the (National Statistical) Commission, whereas the recent order just mentions NSO to be headed by Secretary (S&PI), with various divisions reporting to Secretary through the Director Generals (DGs).