R for India’s Public Data: A Guide to NSSO and Beyond

The foundation of India’s national statistical system was laid in the early years of independence when the need for reliable socio-economic data became urgent. In 1950, the Government of India initiated the National Sample Survey (NSS) as a pilot project within the Ministry of Finance. This initiative was strongly influenced by the statistical vision of Prof. P. C. Mahalanobis, who had earlier conducted pioneering sample surveys at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata. In 1970, the survey operations matured into a formal organization, leading to the creation of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) under the Department of Statistics. The NSSO was tasked with designing, conducting, and managing large-scale sample surveys across India, covering diverse themes such as employment, consumption, health, education, housing, and enterprise activity. It adopted a multi-stage stratified sampling approach that allowed for reliable estimates at the national and state levels, even when full census enumeration was not feasible. The NSSO continued as India’s premier survey agency until 2019, when the Government of India merged it with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to form the National Statistical Office (NSO). This institutional reorganization was aimed at streamlining data collection, enhancing inter-departmental coordination, and modernizing statistical practices. The NSS division now operates under the NSO, continuing its mandate while benefiting from improved administrative integration.