IndiaPosted at: Nov 4 2026 4:40PM


Cabinet clears Rs 4,371-Crore VISTAR scheme to overhaul India’s statistical system

New Delhi, Nov 4 (UNI) The union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 4,371.10-crore central sector scheme to overhaul and modernise India’s official statistical system, with a focus on expanding data collection, accelerating digital transformation, integrating artificial intelligence and strengthening research capabilities over the next five years.
The ‘Viksit Bharat Initiative for Statistical Transformation, Analytics & Research’ (VISTAR) will be implemented from 2026-27 to 2030-31 and is designed to create a more dynamic, real-time and future-ready statistical architecture in line with the government’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Announcing the decision after the Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the initiative would improve the timeliness, accuracy, granularity and accessibility of official statistics, while making government data more responsive to emerging policy requirements.
The scheme aims to develop harmonised, interoperable and AI-ready datasets and provide the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) with greater flexibility to deploy resources according to changing policy priorities. Its scope will encompass large-scale surveys, methodological research, digitalisation and national data governance.
VISTAR will have three principal components: Comprehensive Statistical Operations and Strengthening of Ecosystem, Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS 2.0) and the Economic Census. Together, these are expected to strengthen the country's statistical infrastructure, improve the quality of economic and social data and facilitate evidence-based policymaking at both national and sub-national levels.
Under the first component, MoSPI plans to conduct 59 surveys during the 16th Finance Commission cycle, substantially higher than the 43 major surveys undertaken during the previous cycle. The expanded programme is intended to address critical data gaps across sectors and provide policymakers with more detailed and timely information for designing targeted interventions.
The government will also accelerate the end-to-end digitalisation of statistical operations and integrate Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning into routine processes, particularly data processing, validation and analysis. This is expected to improve operational efficiency, reduce delays and enhance the reliability of official statistical outputs.
The initiative will introduce new economic indicators, including a Headline Index of Services Production and an Index of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises, to provide a more comprehensive picture of economic activity. The new measures are expected to capture developments in sectors that are not adequately reflected in conventional statistical indicators.
A major thrust of VISTAR will be the integration and harmonisation of government datasets through systematic data cataloguing, machine readability, interoperability, common data-sharing protocols and privacy-by-design principles. By addressing fragmentation and eliminating data silos, the government hopes to improve the targeting of welfare and development programmes, reduce duplication and facilitate AI-driven decision-making across different levels of administration.
The scheme will also encourage the use of alternative data sources, including mobile phone records, scanner data and e-commerce information, to supplement conventional surveys. Such sources are expected to help bridge information gaps, reduce the burden on respondents and provide a more dynamic understanding of economic and social trends.
In a move to strengthen research and innovation, VISTAR will create opportunities for students, young researchers and academic institutions through internship programmes and research proposals. The objective is to expand the pool of statistical expertise and encourage new methodologies for collecting, analysing and interpreting data.
The second component, Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS 2.0), will provide financial assistance to State and union Territory governments under a redesigned, deliverable-linked framework to upgrade their statistical capabilities. The emphasis will be on enabling states and UTs to generate high-quality, granular data at district and other disaggregated levels, build indigenous data-processing capabilities and incorporate statistical evidence into local planning and policymaking.
MoSPI will provide technical assistance to states for generating district-level and million-plus city estimates under major national surveys, including the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) and Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE). Assistance will also cover the compilation of State and District Domestic Product estimates and the State-level Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
The third component envisages the eighth Economic Census in collaboration with State and union Territory governments. The exercise will collect detailed information on all non-farm establishments and the workers employed by them, with data available down to the Gram Panchayat and municipal ward levels.
The census is expected to provide a comprehensive picture of the country's non-farm economic establishments, particularly those operating in the unorganised sector, and form the basis for developing a National Statistical Business Register. The proposed register will facilitate more targeted enterprise surveys and help the government frame interventions based on the size, distribution and nature of economic activities across the country.
The information generated will be valuable for policymakers and planners at national, state and local levels, besides providing an important statistical foundation for estimating the contribution of the unorganised sector to India's Gross Domestic Product.
The VISTAR scheme comes amid growing demands for more frequent, reliable and disaggregated economic and social data as India undertakes increasingly complex development, infrastructure and welfare programmes. By combining expanded surveys, stronger state-level statistical institutions, alternative data sources and advanced digital technologies, the government seeks to make official statistics more comprehensive, comparable and accessible, strengthening the evidence base for public policy and economic planning.
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