More than 500 Economists and Social Scientists from India and across the World Demand the Release of Release of NSSO Consumption Survey data by the Indian Government Signatories include Nobel Prize winners Angus Deaton and Nicholas Stern, along with Thomas Piketty, PeterLanjouw, Christophe Jaffrelot and many eminent Indian economists.

We the undersigned demand that the Government of India releases the report and data of all NSSO Surveys that have been completed and approved by the NSSO’s internal systems, including the results of the 75th round Survey of Consumer Expenditure, 2017-18.

A media leak published in Business Standard has revealed that the 2017-18 Consumer Expenditure Survey shows a sharp decline in average consumption. It has been suggested that the survey results are not being released because they support other evidence that the economy is experiencing a downturn. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has now announced that the results of the survey will not be released at all, because they show a higher divergence with the “administrative data” than for earlier surveys.

It should be noted that consumption surveys are known to give results that diverge from macroeconomic estimates of the National Accounts. Also, National Accounts estimates are based not only on administrative data but on a combination of sources including NSSO and other surveys. Several committees have looked into these discrepancies. While further work can be done to identify sources of and reduce these discrepancies, the common understanding has been that the flaws lie as much in the methods deployed for arriving at macroeconomic estimates as they do in surveys.

Consumption surveys are crucial for monitoring trends in poverty and inequality, and are also of critical value for national income accounting, and for updating macro-economic data such as price indices. They can provide an important check on administrative and macroeconomic data, which is important both for policy makers and the general public. The fact that data on supply of goods and household consumption are diverging points to the need for questioning supply side data (which are being widely questioned within and outside India) as much as it points to the continuing need for improving survey methods.

It is of fundamental importance for the nation that statistical institutions are kept independent of political interference, and are allowed to release all data independently. The record of the present government on this score has been very poor. Until recently, India has good cause to be proud of its statistical system, and the sample surveys conducted by the NSSO have served as a shining example and a model to the rest of the world. While there has been much discussion and debate about the methodology of the surveys, these have been scientific and technical in nature, devoted to trying to improve the system to enable better measures of crucial indicators.

However, this government has chosen to attack the credibility of this pre-eminent statistical institution simply because the results of the surveys do not accord with its own narrative about the economy, without providing any adequate reasons, and by misrepresenting essential features of the surveys. It has repeatedly shown its disinclination to make public any information that may show its own performance in a poor light. Last year, before the parliamentary elections, the results of the Periodic Labour Force Survey were not allowed to be released until the Parliamentary Elections were over, despite the resignation of two members of the National Statistical Commission, and a leak in the media. Subsequently, results of other surveys including the 75th round (Consumer Expenditure), 76th round (Drinking water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Housing Conditions) and more recent quarterly data of the PLFS surveys, have not been released

This suppression of essential data is terrible for accountability and for ensuring that citizens have the benefit of official data collection that is paid for with their taxes. It is also counterproductive for the government, which may be kept in the dark about actual trends in the economy and therefore not be able to devise appropriate policies. Undermining the objectivity and credibility of an independent statistical system is fundamentally against the national interest.

In the interest of transparency and accountability, all data must be released without delay and irrespective of what the results are. The government may wish to defend itself against interpretations of the statistics that it disagrees with. But this is best done through technical papers and seminars. To prevent release of data that are adverse, and diverge from its own understanding, is neither transparent nor technically sound.

Indeed, in order to produce transparent and robust information on distribution, it is also important for the government to grant researchers access to (anonymous) tax microfiles.

We therefore demand that the government should immediately release the report and unit-level data of the 75th Consumer Expenditure Survey. The government should also commit to release all other survey data after the usual processes to check for possible errors have been concluded.

Signed

1. A Vaidyanathan, Former Member, Planning Commission
2. A K Shiva Kumar, Ashoka University
3. A V Jose, Visiting Fellow, CDS, Thiruvananthapuram
4. Abhijit Sen, former Member, Planning Commission
5. Abhirup Sarkar, ISI Kolkata
6. Achin Chakraborty, IDS, Kolkata
7. Aditya Bhattacharjea, Delhi School of Economics
8. Aijaz Ahmad, University of California, Irvine
9. Ajit Zacharias, Levy Institute, Bard College, New York
10. Alejo Julca, Independent researcher
11. Alex M. Thomas, Azim Premji University
12. Alicia Puyana, Flacso, Mexico City
13. Alpa Shah, London School of Economics
14. Aman Bardia, New School for Social Research, New York.
15. Amit Basole, Azim Premji University
16. Amit Bhaduri, Emeritus Professor, JNU
17. Amitabha Bhattacharya
18. Amiti Sen, Journalist
19. Amiya Bagchi, Emeritus Professor, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata
20. Anamitra Roychowdhury, JNU
21. Andres Lazzarini, Goldsmiths University, London
22. Andrew Cornford, Geneva
23. Angus Deaton, Princeton University
24. Anita Dixit, Pratichi Institute
25. Anjana Thampi, IWWAGE, New Delhi
26. Anup Sinha Retired Professor of Economics IIM Calcutta
27. Anwar Shaikh, New School for Social Research
28. Arindam Banerjee, AUD, Delhi
29. Arjun Jayadev, Azim Premji University
30. Arthur MacEwan, University of Massachusetts Boston
31. Ashok Kotwal, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
32. Ashwini Deshpande, Ashoka University
33. Astha Ahuja, University of Delhi
34. Atul Sood, JNU
35. Atul Sarma, Visiting Professor, ISID, New Delhi
36. Atulan Guha, IIM, Kashipur
37. Ayushya Kaul, Jamia Millia Islamia
38. Avinash Kumar, JNU
39. Awanish Kumar, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
40. B Srujana, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research
41. Barbara Harriss-White, Emeritus Professor, Oxford University, and Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford
42. Ben Fine, SOAS
43. Bhanoji Rao, Governing Board Member, GITAM and IFHE Universities
44. Bharat Ramaswami, ISI Delhi
45. Bibhas Saha, Durham University
46. Bindu Oberoi, University of Delhi
47. Biswajit Dhar, JNU
48. Byju, V, Thiruvananthapuram
49. C P Chandrasekhar, Retired Professor, JNU
50. C Saratchand, University of Delhi
51. Carlo Cafiero, Senior Statistician, FAO
52. Chalapati Rao KS, ISID, Delhi
53. Chirashree Das Gupta, JNU
54. Chris Baker, Editor, Siam Society
55. Christophe Joffrelot, Sciences Po and King’s College London
56. D Narasimha Reddy, University of Hyderabad
57. D Narayana, Former Director, Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation
58. Daniela Gabor, University of West England, Bristol
59. David Kotz, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
60. Debabrata Pal, JNU
61. Debraj Ray, New York University
62. Deepak K Mishra, JNU
63. Dev Nathan, Institute for Human Development
64. Devaki Jain, ISST, New Delhi
65. Devika Dutt, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
66. Dilip Mookherjee, Boston University
67. Dinesh Abrol, ISID, Delhi
68. Dipa Sinha, AUD
69. Dipankor Coondoo, Retired Professor, ISI
70. Dipankar Dey, Dept of Business Management, Calcutta University
71. Ahmet Tonak, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
72. E Bijoykumar Singh, Manipur University
73. Emanuele Citera, The New School For Social Research
74. Farzana Afridi, ISI, Delhi
75. Francesco Saraceno, Sciences Po
76. Frédéric Deve, formerly Senior Policy and Governance Officer, FAO
77. Gaurav Khanna, University of California, San Diego
78. Gautam Gupta, Former Professor, Jadavpur University
79. Gerald Epstein, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
80. Giovanni Andrea Cornia, University of Florence
81. Hanjabam Isworchandra Sharma, Manipur University
82. Haroon Akram-Lodhi, Trent University, Canada
83. Hema Swaminathan, IIM Bangalore
84. Himanshu, JNU
85. Indra Nath Mukherji, JNU
86. Indraneel Dasgupta, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
87. Indranil Chowdhury, University of Delhi
88. Indranil Mukhopadhyay, OP Jindal University
89. Ingrid Kvangraven, York University
90. Iqbal Singh, Akal University, Bathinda
91. Ishan Anand, Ambedkar University, Delhi
92. Ishita Mukhopadhyay, University of Calcutta
93. Mohan Rao, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
94. Jan Breman, University of Amsterdam
95. Jan Kregel, Levy Institute
96. Jason Hickel, Goldsmith College, London
97. Jayan Jose Thomas, Economist, New Delhi
98. Jayati Ghosh, JNU
99. Jens Lerche, SOAS
100. Jesim Pais, SSER
101. John Harriss, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver
102. Jose Antonio Ocampo, Columbia University
103. Joydeep Baruah, OKD Institute of Social Change and Development, Guwahati
104. Kalyani Menon-Sen, Feminist Learning Partnerships
105. Kathleen McAfee, San Francisco State University
106. K J Joseph, Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation
107. K N Harilal, Member, Kerala State Planning Board
108. K Nagaraj, Retired Professor, MIDS
109. K P Kannan, Retired Professor, CDS
110. K V Ramaswamy, IGIDR
111. Kumarjit Mandal, University of Calcutta
112. Kunibert Raffer, retired Associate Professor, University of Vienna
113. Lawrence King, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
114. Lucas Chancel, Co-Director, World Inequality Lab
115. M S Bhatta, Retired Professor, Jamia Millia Islamia
116. M S Sriram, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
117. M Vijayabaskar, MIDS
118. Maitreesh Ghatak, LSE
119. Mahalaya Chatterjee, Calcutta University
120. Malabika Majumdar, Retd. Professor, University of Delhi
121. Mandira Sarma, JNU
122. Martin Ravallion, Georgetown University
123. Mary E John, CWDS
124. Mira Shiva, Public Health Physician
125. Mridul Eapen, Member, Kerala State Planning Board
126. Mritiunjoy Mohanty, IIM, Kolkata
127. Mustafa Özer, Anadolu University
128. Mwangi wa Githinji – University of Massachusetts, Amherst
129. Nalini Nayak, SEWA, Kerala
130. Naveed Ahmad, Department of higher education Jammu and Kashmir (cluster University Srinagar)
131. Narender Thakur, University of Delhi
132. Nicholas Stern, LSE
133. Nisha Biswas, Scientist
134. Nishith Prakash, University of Connecticut
135. Nitin Sethi, Independent journalist
136. Oliver Braunschweig, The New School for Social Research
137. Padmini Swaminathan, independent researcher, Chennai
138. Parthapratim Pal, IIM Calcutta
139. Pasuk Phongpaichit, Professor, Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok
140. Peter Lanjouw, Free University, Amsterdam
141. Prabhat Patnaik, Emeritus Professor, JNU
142. Pranab Bardhan, University of California, Berkeley
143. Pranab Kanti Basu, Retired Professor, Visva Bharati University
144. Praveen Jha, JNU
145. Priya Mukherjee, William & Mary, Virginia
146. Pulin B Nayak, Retired Professor of Economics, Delhi School of Economics
147. R Nagaraj, IGIDR
148. R Ramakumar, TISS
149. R V Ramana Murthy, University of Hyderabad
150. Radhika Desai, Independent Feminist Researcher and Consultant, Hyderabad
151. Ragupathy, Goldsmiths University, London
152. Rahul Roy, ISI, Delhi
153. Rajah Rasiah, University of Malaya
154. Rajesh Madan, Noida
155. Rajeswari Sengupta, IGIDR
156. Rajesh Bhattacharya, IIM, Kolkata
157. Rajiv Jha, University of Delhi
158. Rakesh Ranjan, University of Delhi
159. Ramaa Vasudevan, Colorado State University
160. Rammanohar Reddy, Editor, The India Forum, and Visiting Professor, Goa University
161. Ranjan Ray, Monash University
162. Ranjini Basu, Focus on the Global South
163. Ratan Khasnabis, Adamas University, and Retired Professor, Calcutta University
164. Ravindran Govindan, Laurie Baker Centre for Habitat Studies, Trivandrum
165. Ritu Dewan, Director (retd), Dept of Economics, University of Mumbai
166. Rohini Hensman, writer and independent scholar
167. Robert Pollin, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
168. Rohit Azad, JNU
169. Romar Correa, University of Mumbai
170. Rosa Abraham, Azim Premji University
171. Runa Sarkar, IIM Calcutta
172. S Krithi, TISS, Hyderabad
173. Subramanian, Retired Professor, MIDS
174. Sagari R Ramdas, Food Sovereignty Alliance
175. Saikat Sinha Roy, Jadavpur University
176. Samarjit Das, ISI, Kolkata
177. Sanjay Reddy, The New School for Social Research
178. Santosh Das, ISID, New Delhi
179. Saradindu Bhaduri, JNU
180. Sarmistha Pal, Surrey Business School
181. Satish Deshpande, Delhi University
182. Satyaki Roy, ISID, Delhi
183. Saumyajit Bhattacharya, Delhi University
184. Seema Kulkarni, SOPPECOM, Pune
185. Servaas Storm, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
186. Shambhu Ghatak, Senior Associate Fellow, Inclusive Media for Change
187. Shantanu De Roy, TERI University
188. Shiney Chakraborty, ISST, New Delhi
189. Shipra Nigam, Consultant Economist, New Delhi
190. Shouvik Chakraborty, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
191. Shuji Uchikawa, Senshu University, Japan
192. Shyjan Davis, University of Calicut
193. Siwan Anderson, Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
194. Smita Gupta, Economist
195. Smitha Francis, ISID, New Delhi
196. Snehashish Bhattacharya, SAU
197. Sona Mitra, IWWAGE, New Delhi
198. Stefano Zambelli, University of Trento, Italy
199. Suchetana Chattopadhyay, Jadavpur University.
200. Subin Dennis, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research
201. Sudha Narayanan, IGIDR
202. Sudhir Kumar Suthar, JNU
203. Sudip Chaudhuri, IIM, Kolkata
204. Sudipta Bhattacharyya, Visva Bharati
205. Sujata Patel, NIS, Shimla
206. Sukanta Bhattacharya, University of Calcutta
207. Sushil Khanna, IIM, Kolkata
208. Sripad Motiram, University of Massachusetts Boston
209. Sunanda Sen, Retired Professor, JNU
210. Surajit Das, JNU
211. Surajit Mazumdar, JNU
212. Suresh Aggarwal, Former Professor, Department of Business Economics, University of Delhi
213. Suranjan Gupta, New Delhi
214. T Sabri Öncü, Former Head of Research, CAFRAL
215. Takahiro Sato, Kobe University
216. Taposik Banerjee, Ambedkar University, Delhi
217. Thomas Piketty, Paris School of Economics
218. Upasak Das, University of Pennsylvania
219. Utsa Patnaik, Emerita Professor, JNU
220. Uttam Bhattacharya, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata
221. Vamsi Vakulabharanam, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
222. Velupillai Kumaraswamy, former Professor, University of Trento and New School University
223. Venkatesh B Athreya, Professor of Economics (Retired), Bharathidasan University
224. Vikas Rawal, JNU
225. Yogendra Yadav, Swaraj India, and former member, UGC
226. Yoshifumi Usami, University of Tokyo

Signatories of the Online Statement