The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation’s plan to dismantle the Standing Committee on Statistics drew criticism from the Congress on Sunday. They asserted that the committee members’ persistent questions about why the decennial Census, which is scheduled for 2021, had not yet been completed led to the decision to take this step.
The 14-member Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) was discreetly dissolved by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, according to a report. Pronab Sen, a well-known economist and former top statistician, oversaw this group. Members allegedly questioned the census’s delay, which led to the dissolution.
Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary of Congress in charge of communications, voiced his worries. He stated, “And for what? Simply for repeatedly asking the Government why the decennial Census last due in 2021 has still not been conducted thereby, among other things, denying at least 10 crore Indians of ration benefits under National Food Security Act, 2013/ PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.”
The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) of the Ministry, headed by Geeta Singh Rathore, provided an explanation of the committee’s dissolution in an email. According to the email, the committee’s responsibilities overlapped with those of the recently established National Sample Survey Steering Committee. Ramesh provided this information on X.
The accusations made by the Congress raise serious questions about the census’s delayed completion and how it would affect residents’ access to necessary resources. The SCoS’s dissolution raises concerns about accountability and transparency in government processes.
It is nonetheless imperative that the administration respond to these accusations in order to allay public worries over resource allocation and data gathering. The circumstance emphasises how crucial accurate and timely census statistics are to efficient governance and policymaking.
