Udaipur:The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) held the Culmination Ceremony of the 75th Anniversary of the National Sample Survey (NSS) alongside World Statistics Day 2025 on Tuesday in Udaipur, closing a year-long nationwide celebration of India’s official statistics system.
The event honored decades of field staff, statisticians and institutional partners who have shaped the NSS since its inception in 1950. More than 700 participants, including MoSPI officials, members of the National Statistical Commission, state DES representatives, researchers and retired officers, attended the ceremony.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Rao Inderjit Sin
gh, who served as the Chief Guest, said credible and timely statistics remain central to nation-building. He commended generations of survey personnel for supporting India’s data-driven growth and its aspirations under Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
In his opening remarks, MoSPI Secretary Dr. Saurabh Garg highlighted the rapid digitisation of India’s statistical ecosystem through tools such as e-SIGMA, chatbots and computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). He stressed the importance of updated sampling frames for fast-growing urban areas and acknowledged the contributions of over 10,000 NSS field staff who collect data year-round.
NSS Director General Geeta Singh Rathore reflected on the organisation’s evolution from paper-based surveys to modern digital systems, underscoring its nationwide reach and legacy.
Several major publications and initiatives were launched during the ceremony. These included:
• From Inception to Innovation: The Story of NSS, a coffee table book tracing the organisation’s 75-year journey;
• Stories Behind Numbers, a journal capturing creative works from NSS staff;
• A commemorative Sarvekshana Supplement;
• The updated National Industrial Classification (NIC) 2025 aligned with ISIC Rev. 5 to reflect emerging sectors; and
• The Data Innovation Lab Portal, designed to promote AI/ML-driven innovation in official statistics.
The Minister also released the National Statistics Office (NSO) anthem, sung by renowned musician Shankar Mahadevan, celebrating accuracy, transparency and evidence-based governance.
Cultural performances by regional NSS teams from Patna, Shillong, Shimla, Gangtok, Ajmer, Burdwan and Thiruvananthapuram showcased the diversity of India’s statistical community. A video presentation highlighted key activities from the year-long celebrations, from the 19th Statistics Day to the release of a commemorative stamp and coin.
A panel discussion on “Stories of Data Collection in NSS Surveys,” featuring a sarpanch, a girdawar and an industrialist, explored the importance of reliable data in governance, administration and industry.
Marking World Statistics Day—globally observed every five years—MoSPI conducted sessions on improving field communication strategies and introduced a new CAPI application for the upcoming CPI revision to the 2024 base year. The tool features secure logins, role-based scrutiny, geo-tagged outlets and improved filters to enhance price data accuracy.
The ceremony reaffirmed NSO and MoSPI’s commitment to strengthening the quality, integrity and relevance of official statistics as India accelerates toward a data-driven future.
