Union Cabinet clears VISTAR scheme with Rs 4,371 crore outlay to revamp India's statistics system

Key facts

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved the Viksit Bharat Initiative for Statistical Transformation, Analytics & Research (VISTAR) scheme with an outlay of Rs 4,371.10 crore, running till 2030-31.
• Under VISTAR, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will conduct 59 surveys till FY31, up from 43 major surveys previously.
• MoSPI plans new metrics including the Index of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises and the Index of Services Production, currently released on a trial basis.
• MoSPI will undertake the 8th Economic Census with States and Union Territories, covering non-farm establishments up to the Gram Panchayat and Ward level, serving as the baseline for a National Statistical Business Register.
• MoSPI will use alternate data sources like mobile phone, scanner, and e-commerce data, and embed AI and machine learning into statistical workflows for data processing, validation, and analysis.