National Commission on Statistics proposed

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 5. On the recommendations of the National Statistical Commission, headed by the Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Dr. C. Rangarajan, the Government proposes to set up an independent National Commission on Statistics (NCS) that would be politically neutral and free of Government influence.

Briefing presspersons on the recommendation of the Rangarajan Commission, which was presented to the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, today, the new Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Mr. Jagmohan, said his Ministry would soon be writing to all chief ministers for their comments on the Rangarajan Commission report and also to other Central ministers. ``Once we get their inputs, we will finalise the proposal for the creation of the NCS which would be a statutory body set up with Parliamentary approval.''

According to Mr. Jagmohan, the Rangarajan Commission has recommended that the NCS should have a chairman and four expert members, all of whom should be eminent statisticians or social scientists and that they should act on the advice of a number of technical committees on various subjects.

The Rangarajan Commission has also called for restructuring of the existing Statistics Wing of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation into a full-fledged Department of the Ministry to be known as the National Statistical Organisation (NSO). The head of the NSO should be designated at the National Statistician with the rank of a Secretary to the Central Government. The Rangarajan Commission has also proposed that the National Statistician should also be the Secretary to the National Commission on Statistics in order to provide a link between the Government and the independent body.

The NCS would also lay down guidelines for collection of data and would also see that these guidelines are properly implemented, Mr. Jagmohan said.

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