Cong slams govt for 'dissolving' Standing Committee on Statistics

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday hit out at the government over the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation reportedly dissolving the Standing Committee on Statistics, alleging it was done as its members repeatedly asked why the decennial Census due in 2021 has still not been conducted. The Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has "quietly dissolved the 14-member Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS) headed by eminent economist and former chief statistician of the country Pronab Sen , allegedly after its members questioned the delay in conducting the census", according to a report in The Hindu.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "And for what? Simply for repeatedly asking the Government why the decennial Census last due in 2021 has still not been conducted thereby, among other things, denying at least 10 crore Indians of ration benefits under National Food Security Act, 2013/ PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana."

The reason it is being dismantled, according to an email sent to the members by Geeta Singh Rathore , Director General of the Ministry's National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), is that the committee's work overlapped with that of the recently formed Steering Committee for National Sample Surveys, the report shared by Ramesh on X said.