FULL TRANSCRIPT
Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker Sir, for allowing me to speak on The Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill, 2017. The Amendment in the Bill is to strengthen the data collection mechanism in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 was enacted to facilitate the collection of economic, social, scientific and environmental aspects. The Act enacted covered whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir.
Similarly Jammu and Kashmir State Legislature enacted the Jammu and Kashmir Collection Statistics Act, 2010. The Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 and Jammu and Kashmir Collection Statistics Act, 2010 falling in the Union List has created a legislative vacuum. Moreover, concrete jurisdiction to be exercised by the Centre in Jammu and Kashmir has not been provided.
The Amendment is intended to address the vacuum which will help the social upliftment of the people residing in Jammu and Kashmir. But it should be taken care that implementation of this legislation there should not be in conflict with the setup of Jammu and Kashmir’s collection of data and input of statistics.
The Bill stipulates the appointment of nodal officer at the Centre and State to effectively coordinate and supervise the data collection activities for avoiding unnecessary duplication.
On behalf of my Party, I am welcoming the Bill. I suggest to incorporate a provision into the proposed Bill; there should be a time frame of furnishing data or statistics and it has to be made binding on all because the current status of statistics of some departments with the regard of adequacy, timeliness and reliability are far from the satisfactory. Sometimes the advanced estimates are made simply on the basis of visual estimate until the final results are available, which is almost one year later. Only rough estimates are supplied, which have been the reason of sustainable revision in the estimated.
Coming from the State of West Bengal, it makes me proud that Indian Statistical Institute is an academic institution of national importance as recognised by 1959 Act of Indian Parliament. Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, the founder of ISI, was deeply influenced by the wisdom and guidance of Rabindranath Tagore and Bijendra Nath Shil. Under his leadership the institution initiated and promoted the statistics with natural and social science to advance the role of statistics. The 2nd Fifth Year Plan of India was the brain-child of Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
Timely availability of statistics is the essence of the efficiency of national statistical system. Statistics with a long time gap may not be of much use for policy making. The effort to improve agricultural, industrial and other statistics at the ground level will have to be quick and only then impact of statistical data on national level would earn desired and proper result. This will help to improve the quality of life of people in the Valley for broad-based social transformation in development.
Thank you.