Published by Springer Nature, this book not only celebrates a milestone but also offers a sobering audit of India’s journey in building and strengthening evidence-based policy-making.
Renowned statistician and former NSSO Director-General, Dr. Manna, uses his decades of experience to create a multi-faceted narrative about the development of survey methodology, innovations in sampling design, institutional challenges and the crucial role the NSS plays in assisting with socio-economic measurement and national planning.
The book is methodically structured and encompassing:
- A historical evolution of the NSS since its inception in 1950.
- Technical advances in sample design, stratification and field operations.
- Challenges faced in modern times – from digital transition and non-response to declining field participation.
- Policy implications, underscoring the NSS’s contribution to poverty estimates, employment-unemployment statistics, consumption patterns and price indices.
- Recommendations for rethinking institutional frameworks and enhancing robustness and timeliness in an age of big data and AI.
- Making a difficult subject understandable is one of the book’s outstanding accomplishments.
Dr. Manna effectively strikes a balance between intelligibility and statistical expertise. He provides a comprehensive and yet an easy-to-understand description of rotating panel surveys, multi-stage stratified sampling and recollection Vs diary methods in consumption surveys. Tables, graphs and actual survey data examples abound in the book, which not only demonstrates statistical designs but also traces their empirical effects on flagship programmes such as the PLFS, NFHS and SECC.
This work is relevant given the current discussions around social audit procedures, unemployment estimation and data trustworthiness. It makes the case for increased autonomy and openness in India’s statistics system, a national statistics commission with enforcement powers and an updated NSS framework that is sensitive to the integration of digital and artificial intelligence.
Initiatives such as One Nation, One Data and Digital India benefit greatly from Dr. Manna’s insights, which emphasise the importance of statistical literacy, ethical data governance, and institutional co-operation across ministries.
The book is a tour de force in Indian statistical historiography. However, its holistic tone might have further benefited from a comparative international analysis of how
India’s NSS parallels or lags behind global survey giants such as the U.S. CPS or EU-SILC.
Moreover, greater discussion on gender-disaggregated data, climate statistics and urban informal economy could have deepened its relevance in today’s sustainability-focused era.
“75 Years of the Indian National Sample Survey” is more than a tribute – it is a call for action. It underscores that robust public statistics are the bedrock of democracy, equity and good governance. This book should be an essential reading for policy-makers, researchers, economists, statisticians and anyone who is interested in the future of evidence-led development in India.
Dr. Manna’s work reminds us that behind every statistic lies a story – of a worker, a household, a region – and in telling these stories faithfully, NSS has served as India’s mirror for 75 years.