India’s statistical performance on the global stage – India’s Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI) Ranking and Analysis | 2 October 2023 | UPSC Daily Editorial Analysis

What's the article about?

• It talks about India's performance in the World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI).

Relevance:

• GS2: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation
• Prelims

Context:

• The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI) ranks India 67 among 174 countries in 2019.
• The SPI evaluates the performance of national statistical systems across five dimensions of performance, commonly referred to as the “five pillars” of a national statistical system.
• This article analyzes India's SPI ranking and highlights both shortcomings and commendable performances in various aspects of SPI.

Analysis:

• India's SPI Score and Rank:
  • India's overall SPI score stands at 70.4, placing it in the 67th rank among the 174 countries assessed.
  • The pillar-wise scores show India's lower performance in the 'Data use' and 'Data products' pillars, with scores of 80 and 60, respectively, resulting in poor rankings of 101 and 105.
  • India performs well in measures assessing the comparability of estimates of child mortality, debt reporting, drinking water, and labor force participation.
  • However, it loses 20 points due to the unavailability of comparable poverty estimates for the World Bank over the last 10 years.
• Five Pillars of SPI:
  • The SPI is based on the assessment of five dimensions of performance, commonly referred to as the “five pillars” of a national statistical system.
  • These pillars are:
    1. Data use
    2. Data services
    3. Data products
    4. Data sources
    5. Data infrastructure
• India's Performance in the Five Pillars:
  • India's performance in the five pillars of SPI is as follows:
    1. Data use: India's score is 80, and its rank is 101.
    2. Data services: India's score is 88, and its rank is 35.
    3. Data products: India's score is 60, and its rank is 105.
    4. Data sources: India's score is 68.9, and its rank is 31.
    5. Data infrastructure: India's score is 55, and its rank is 73.
• Recommendations for Improvement:
  • To improve India's SPI ranking, the article recommends the following:
    • Proactive engagement with the World Bank to fortify the robustness of the SPI.
    • Use of “Vital Statistics of India” in place of the National Family Health Survey for estimating the registration of births and deaths.
    • Achieving a 20-point increase in each of the three pivotal pillars ('Data products', 'Data use', and 'Data infrastructure').

Way Forward:

• The SPI for 2019 underscores India's superior performance in censuses and surveys in comparison to administrative data. A thorough examination of the SPI score is crucial to drive improvement and enhance international competitiveness. By identifying issues and establishing attainable goals, a substantial rise in rankings can be achieved.