National Statistical Commission (NSC)
- Context: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) officially approved the appointment of Dr. Saibal Chattopadhyay as Chairperson, along with three prominent domain experts as part-time members of the National Statistical Commission (NSC).
About National Statistical Commission (NSC)
- The National Statistical Commission (NSC) was established in 2005.
- It serves as the nodal body for core statistical activities in the country.
- Its mandate is to:
- Evolve, monitor and enforce statistical priorities and standards.
- Ensure coordination among statistical agencies.
- Improve public trust in official statistics.
Composition of NSC
- Part-time Chairperson.
- Four part-time Members with expertise in statistics and related fields.
- CEO of NITI Aayog serves as an ex-officio Member.
- Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) acts as the Secretary to the Commission.
- Dr. Saibal Chattopadhyay appointed as the chairperson of National Statistical Commission.
Functions of the NSC
- Formulates national policies and priorities relating to the statistical system.
- Recommends measures to enhance public confidence in official statistics.
- Standardizes statistical concepts, definitions, classifications and methodologies.
- Prescribes national quality standards for core statistics.
- Suggests measures for effective implementation of statistical standards.
- Promotes coordination:
- Between the Centre and States/UTs.
- Among Ministries, Departments and agencies of the Central Government.
- Conducts statistical audits to ensure quality and integrity of statistical outputs.
- Monitors and reviews the functioning of the statistical system and recommends measures for improved performance.
