Data no more ‘safe’ from govt influence

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 30

On the back foot following the resignation of two independent members of the National Statistical Commission (NSC) — PC Mohanan, acting chairman, and JV Meenakshi — the Union Government today asserted that the members had never expressed their concerns during any of the meetings. 

The Congress accused the Modi government of destroying yet another institution, claiming one more venerable institution had “died” owing to government’s “malicious negligence”. Congress’Ahmed Patel said the resignations served the government’s objective to “blackout” all data on “misgovernance”.

“The report and the commission which prepares such reports belong to the people of India and not to any political party. The government has no business to sit on it..,”  Patel tweeted. 

Talking to The Tribune, former chairman Dr Pronab Sen said the developments defeated the very purpose of the panel that had been set up “to insulate data from government influence”. He went on to add that of late, NITI Aayog had “bypassed the commission and on its own created back series for computing GDP figures”. This, he claimed, had caused resentment among the panel members.

"We mourn the death of the National Statistical Commission and remember with gratitude its valiant fight to release untainted GDP data and employment data." — P Chidambaram, Cong leader