IBNS-CMEDIA: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the ‘Viksit Bharat Initiative for Statistical Transformation, Analytics & Research’ (VISTAR) Scheme, aimed at establishing a dynamic, real-time and future-ready official statistical architecture in the country.
The initiative seeks to enhance the timeliness and granularity of official data while promoting interoperability, harmonisation and the development of AI-ready datasets.
The scheme has been approved for the period from FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31, with a total financial outlay of Rs. 4,371.10 crore.
The VISTAR Scheme will provide strategic flexibility to allocate resources dynamically based on emerging policy requirements. It will adopt a comprehensive approach towards large-scale surveys, methodological research, digital transformation and national data governance.
The scheme will encompass all statistical and data management activities of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) and play a crucial role in modernising India’s official statistical system.
The VISTAR Scheme will have three key components:
Comprehensive Statistical Operations and Strengthening of Ecosystem
Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS)
Economic Census (EC)
Comprehensive Statistical Operations and Strengthening of Ecosystem
Under this component, MoSPI proposes to conduct 59 surveys during the 16th Finance Commission cycle, compared with 43 major surveys conducted previously.
The expanded survey programme is expected to address critical data gaps across various sectors, improve decision-making and enable timely and targeted policy interventions.
Building on recent digital transformation initiatives in technology-enabled data collection and user-centric dissemination, MoSPI will focus on the end-to-end digitalisation of statistical processes.
The ministry will also integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into regular workflows, particularly for data processing, validation and analysis.
MoSPI plans to introduce new statistical indicators, including the Headline Index of Services Production and the Index of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises.
The ministry will further strengthen the foundational pillars of data harmonisation, including data cataloguing, machine readability, interoperability, data-sharing protocols and privacy by design.
These measures are expected to break down data silos, improve programme targeting, reduce duplication and facilitate AI-driven decision-making across different levels of government.
The scheme will also promote the use of alternative data sources, including mobile phone, scanner and e-commerce data, to complement traditional surveys, reduce the burden on respondents, bridge existing data gaps and strengthen evidence-based policymaking.
Additionally, MoSPI will focus on capacity building and creating enhanced opportunities for students and researchers through its Internship Scheme and research proposals from academic and research institutions.
Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS)
Under the Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS) component, financial assistance will be provided to State and Union Territory governments to upgrade their statistical capabilities through a redesigned, deliverable-linked framework known as SSS 2.0.
The initiative aims to strengthen state-level capabilities to generate high-quality and granular data at district and other disaggregated levels, develop indigenous data processing infrastructure and integrate data-driven approaches into local policymaking.
MoSPI will provide technical assistance to expand the generation of district-level and million-plus city-level estimates through flagship national surveys, including the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) and Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE).
The ministry will also support the compilation of State and District-level Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates and the State-level Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
Economic Census
Under the Economic Census component, MoSPI will undertake the 8th Economic Census in collaboration with State and Union Territory governments.
The exercise will generate granular data on non-farm establishments and the workers employed by them, covering information up to the Gram Panchayat and municipal ward levels.
It will provide a comprehensive assessment of India’s unorganised sector and serve as the baseline for developing a National Statistical Business Register (SBR).
The register is expected to facilitate targeted enterprise surveys and support strategic policy interventions.
Economic Census data will be particularly valuable for planners and policymakers at both national and sub-national levels. It will also help improve the estimation of the unorganised sector’s contribution to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
