CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION - Government of Himachal Pradesh

DESHP
Himachal Pradesh State Strategic Statistical Plan 39
organizations with the following principles and practices, keeping in view the necessity
for ensuring the neutrality, objectivity, reliability and timeliness of Official Statistics.
Data/information need not be treated just as a raw material; instead, they should be
viewed as a precious resource and hence, there is urgent need for timely processing,
value addition and user friendly dissemination without compromising neutrality and
objectivity. Statistical Organizations are now expected to develop sustainable methods to
improve the quality and exploit more the administrative statistics to reduce reliance on
new sample surveys and also enhance the scope and coverage of existing surveys to meet
demands. Statistical activities are to be critically reviewed and statistical products should
identify and eliminate avoidable redundancies and duplications so that the additional
resources are redirected towards new activities. Time has now come to effectively
address the problems of respondent burden and more user friendly data collection
instruments in data collection processes.
3.2.7 Statistics produced and Disseminated must be, as far as possible, policy relevant
and administrator-friendly, in particular and user-friendly, in general while maintaining
their professional integrity, reliability and timeliness. Statistical organizations are to
improve their levels of visibility through effective interactions with stake holders. The
statistical organizations would need to critically pay attention to the issues relating to
inadequate IT hardware and software and IT skills, IT absorption, including Networking
and Connectivity. Develop effective mechanisms for consultation with stake-holders in
statistical organizations.
3.2.8 The focus of the ISSP is on strengthening of the statistical capacity of the 35
States and Union Territories, especially with regard to the collection, compilation and
dissemination of statistics, in line and in accordance with the relevant recommendations
contained in the NSC Report, which has underlined the crucial role which all the
States/UTs have to play in generating the data for a wide range of national level statistics
and providing appropriate and adequate data, that too in a timely manner for meeting the
requirements of policy and planning at the state and sub-state levels.