The Chairman and external member of National Statistical Commission (NSC) have resigned, expressing disappointment over the treatment being meted out by the government.
PC Mohanan, who was the acting chairman of the NSC along with member JV Meenakshi resigned on Monday, leaving behind no external members in the body.
Two key reasons cited for resigning from the NSC were – withholding the publication of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)’s employment survey for 2017-18 and a lack of consultation with the Commission before releasing the backdated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) series last year.
“We have resigned from the NSC. Over the months, we have been feeling that we were not been taken seriously and being sidelined by the government. Recent decisions of the NSC were not being implemented,” PC Mohanan told Business Standard on Tuesday.
The immediate trigger for resignation was the delay in releasing the NSSO’s first series of the household survey, known as periodic labour force survey, for 2017-18.
Sources said the NSC had approved the survey report in its meeting held on December 5 in Kolkata and it was supposed to be released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, as per convention.
“The report was approved and should have been released immediately, but was not the case. I thought I should not watch silently what was happening,” Mohanan added.
However, almost two months after the approval, the report hasn’t been made public. A former member pointed out that the government was uncomfortable with the findings of the NSSO’s latest household survey. This comes even as the Labour and Employment Ministry has withheld the release of the annual household survey for 2016-17 conducted by the Labour Bureau, despite necessary approvals in place.
The issue of employment has taken centre stage as the campaign to the upcoming general elections gathers momentum. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has repeatedly cited lack of numbers on jobs as a bigger problem than job creation itself.
“The NSC was essentially meant to bring about a sense of credibility to the data put out by the National Statistical System and if the NSC feels that it is not being permitted to carry out its functions then it is entirely appropriate that it resigns,” Pronab Sen, who was the chairman of NSC between 2013 and 2016, said.
As such, the survey reports of the NSSO need the Commission’s approval and not that of the government, a former NSC member explained. “This mechanism has been put in place since the 1960s when a Governing Council was in place which was replaced by the Commission in 2006,” the member said, requesting anonymity.
The government released GDP back-series through Niti Aayog in November last year but did not involve NSC in the consultation process, which did not go down well with NSC members.
“The government did not take the GDP back-series to the NSC. It is supposed to be the highest body in terms of statistics,” pointed out another former member.
The NSC had released its report on the GDP back-series which was disowned by the government as just another exercise.
Further, the latest Economic Census was announced by the government but was not brought to the Commission. Also, the NSC was kept out of the release of National Policy on Official Statistics. “The National Policy on Official Statistics was announced without any reference to the Commission,” said a former member.
Former NSC Chairman RB Barman said, “Since NSC is the apex of the system, whatever they do they should have enough space for being independent.” His term ended in July last year.
PC Mohanan, who was the acting chairman of the NSC along with member JV Meenakshi resigned on Monday, leaving behind no external members in the body.
Two key reasons cited for resigning from the NSC were – withholding the publication of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)’s employment survey for 2017-18 and a lack of consultation with the Commission before releasing the backdated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) series last year.
“We have resigned from the NSC. Over the months, we have been feeling that we were not been taken seriously and being sidelined by the government. Recent decisions of the NSC were not being implemented,” PC Mohanan told Business Standard on Tuesday.
The immediate trigger for resignation was the delay in releasing the NSSO’s first series of the household survey, known as periodic labour force survey, for 2017-18.
Sources said the NSC had approved the survey report in its meeting held on December 5 in Kolkata and it was supposed to be released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, as per convention.
“The report was approved and should have been released immediately, but was not the case. I thought I should not watch silently what was happening,” Mohanan added.
However, almost two months after the approval, the report hasn’t been made public. A former member pointed out that the government was uncomfortable with the findings of the NSSO’s latest household survey. This comes even as the Labour and Employment Ministry has withheld the release of the annual household survey for 2016-17 conducted by the Labour Bureau, despite necessary approvals in place.
The issue of employment has taken centre stage as the campaign to the upcoming general elections gathers momentum. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has repeatedly cited lack of numbers on jobs as a bigger problem than job creation itself.
“The NSC was essentially meant to bring about a sense of credibility to the data put out by the National Statistical System and if the NSC feels that it is not being permitted to carry out its functions then it is entirely appropriate that it resigns,” Pronab Sen, who was the chairman of NSC between 2013 and 2016, said.
As such, the survey reports of the NSSO need the Commission’s approval and not that of the government, a former NSC member explained. “This mechanism has been put in place since the 1960s when a Governing Council was in place which was replaced by the Commission in 2006,” the member said, requesting anonymity.
The government released GDP back-series through Niti Aayog in November last year but did not involve NSC in the consultation process, which did not go down well with NSC members.
“The government did not take the GDP back-series to the NSC. It is supposed to be the highest body in terms of statistics,” pointed out another former member.
The NSC had released its report on the GDP back-series which was disowned by the government as just another exercise.
Further, the latest Economic Census was announced by the government but was not brought to the Commission. Also, the NSC was kept out of the release of National Policy on Official Statistics. “The National Policy on Official Statistics was announced without any reference to the Commission,” said a former member.
Former NSC Chairman RB Barman said, “Since NSC is the apex of the system, whatever they do they should have enough space for being independent.” His term ended in July last year.
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