Measuring India: The Nation’s Statistical System

Reliable and up-to-date statistics are crucial for planning the economic advancement of a nation. This book presents a comprehensive assessment of statistics relating to the present structure of India’s economy providing a sound factual basis for formulating development programmes. It discusses the various concepts, definitions, and procedures involved in collecting, compiling, and publishing these data, understanding their reliability as well as limitations to arrive at meaningful conclusions. Covering statistics on agricultural, industrial, labour, financial, as well as key socio-economic indicators of education, health, environment, this book also compares statistical systems followed in India with those followed internationally. It further elaborates on the comparability of different datasets over time and across organizations pointing out gaps in the available statistics.