Lok Sabha’s Standing Committee on Finance (2025-26) tabled its 27th Report on ‘Performance review of NSC’ in the Parliament.

Key issues highlighted in the report

• Inability to Enforce Standards: The NSC lacks the power to enforce uniform standards and methodologies across all data producers, including government ministries and private data providers.
• Data Discrepancies in statistical estimates, like GDP, undermines stakeholder confidence and public trust.
• Limited Autonomy: Its operational effectiveness is constrained without the legal backing to mandate compliance.

Recommendations of the committee

• Statutory Empowerment: The NSC must be established as the nodal and autonomous statutory body for all core statistical activities, empowered to prescribe standards for both government and private data producers.
• National Statistical Standards Framework: similar to accounting standards set by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), should be developed to harmonize data collection, sampling, and reporting protocols.
• Formalized Statistical Audits to conduct periodic, comprehensive reviews of data processes across agencies, with findings published transparently to ensure quality and accountability.
• Refinement of GDP methodology to more accurately capture the economic contributions of the informal and unorganized sectors, which constitute over 60% of the economy.
• Other: 
  • AI Integration into the national statistical system and Capacity Building.
  • International Collaboration to translate global best practices into tangible domestic outcomes.