Migration, Covid-19 fear challenges for NSO surveys

Chandigarh, August 3

In pandemic, “mass migration” and “new social norms” have emerged as unforeseen challenges for the statisticians of the National Statistical Office (NSO) here in Chandigarh. Under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, NSO conducts large scale sample surveys in diverse fields that provide crucial data to the government for framing policies.

However, with two months of labour lost to the lockdown, statisticians are now struggling to meet data-collection deadlines for many major surveys, including Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for 2019-20 and socio-economic survey. Fearing the deadly virus, most respondents refuse to communicate with statisticians on door-to-door surveys.

“Few weeks ago, since we resumed field work only in June, we had to visit three societies in Sector 49, which were part of our sample size, but we were not allowed inside. Guards stopped us and only after seeing our ID cards, they allowed us to enter two societies,” said senior statistical officer Usha Verma. “Even as we spoke to people, they were aloof. Most of them didn’t open the door for us,” she added.

Besides surveys, NSO also collects data on rural and urban prices and plays a significant role in the improvement of crop statistics through supervision of the area enumeration and crop estimation surveys of state agencies. However, with mass migration of labour and outstation residents staying as paying guests, statisticians are grappling to ensure authenticity. Junior statistical officer Purnima Malik said, “On revisits, we find that houses, which were part of our sample size, are now vacated by respondents, who lived there as paying guests. In rural and urban areas, people have migrated because of the pandemic.”

For now, officers are rolling with the punches. Baljeet Singh Chhabra, Deputy Director General, NSO, says, “Despite huge challenges and uncertainties created by Covid-19, our field officers are trying their best to reach people for gathering data. My appeal to public is to co-operate with our officers.” — TNS