Limitations of Official Statistical System of India and Data Gaps:A Note

The note on official statistical system of India focuses on gaps and limitations of data gathered by different agencies of Government of India in general and CSO in particular. It concentrates on data limitations and gaps relating to input output modelling and employment of human resources in Indian economy. Major gaps in data base of input output modelling relate to (i) total want of such data as are required for the compilation of capital coefficients matrix of Indian economy; (ii) Want of data relating to inter and intra-state trade along with price differentials among the economies of the states; (iii) Lack of I-O matrix with uniform classification without which inter-temporal comparative study is not possible. Change in technology is also difficult to infer without such tables; (iv) Both inter-state and intra-state growth differentials warrant that each input output table has an inter-regional transaction matrix as its supplement; (v) No data are available relating to transactions that take place between rural and urban establishments and people within a district and among the districts of a state; (vi) Sector-wise data relating to employment with education-occupation profile and corresponding wage/salary rates are not available. Data relating to nonformal and unorganized sector are also not available. This makes it extremely difficult to examine changing factor endowment of Indian economy during the course of development. It needs sector-wise data of employment and sectorwise wage rates are also needed.