Pariksha SaathiCabinet approves VISTAR, a Rs 4,371.10 crore scheme to upgrade the official statistical system for 2026-27 to 2030-31
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved on 4 November 2026 the 'Viksit Bharat Initiative for Statistical Transformation, Analytics & Research (VISTAR)', a central sector scheme for FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31 with an outlay of Rs 4,371.10 crore, which will encompass all statistical and data management activities of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). Aligned with the objective of Viksit Bharat 2047, VISTAR is designed to establish a dynamic, real-time and future-ready official statistical architecture with better timeliness, data granularity and interoperability; according to the release, it will play a crucial role in upgrading the country's official statistical system. It has three components. Under the first, Comprehensive Statistical Operations and Strengthening of Ecosystem, MoSPI proposes to conduct 59 surveys during the 16th Finance Commission cycle, compared with 43 major surveys conducted previously; it will focus on end-to-end digitalisation of statistical processes, plans to release new metrics including the Headline Index of Services Production and the Index of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises, and aims to use alternate sources such as mobile phone, scanner and e-commerce data to complement traditional surveys; an internship scheme for students is also planned. Under the second, Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS), funds will be provided to State/UT Governments through a redesigned, deliverable-linked framework (SSS 2.0) to build capacity to generate granular data at district and other disaggregated levels. Under the third, Economic Census, MoSPI will undertake the 8th Economic Census in collaboration with the States/UTs, covering all non-farm establishments and the workers hired in them down to Gram Panchayat and Ward level; it will serve as the baseline for developing a National Statistical Business Register (SBR).
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
On 16 February 2022 PIB reported that the Cabinet had approved the continuation of the Capacity Development (CD) Scheme, a central sector scheme of MoSPI, till 31.03.2026 or till further review, whichever was earlier, with an outlay of Rs 3,179 crore for the 15th Finance Commission cycle. The scheme's overall objective was to augment infrastructural, technical and manpower resources so that credible and timely official statistics are available. It comprised the Capacity Development (Main) Scheme and two sub-schemes: Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS), which aims to improve the statistical capacity and operations of State Statistical Systems, and the Economic Census (EC), which is conducted periodically and gives a complete count of all non-farm economic establishments within India's geographical boundary. The Ministry was to continue newly initiated surveys - the Annual Survey of Services Sector Enterprises (ASSSE), the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) and the Time Use Survey (TUS) - along with other activities such as the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the Household Consumer Expenditure Survey (HCES) and the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI).
Check yourself: which two sub-schemes did MoSPI's Capacity Development Scheme comprise, and what outlay was approved for its continuation during the 15th Finance Commission cycle?
Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS) and Economic Census (EC); Rs 3,179 crore.
Revision task: from this release, note the scheme's full name, its outlay and period, its three components, the number of surveys proposed for the 16th Finance Commission cycle against the number conducted previously, the new indices planned, what SSS 2.0 funds and which Economic Census will be held; from the note, the earlier scheme's name, its sub-schemes, its outlay for the 15th Finance Commission cycle and the surveys it named. Compare the components of the two schemes.
Test yourself
Under the VISTAR scheme approved by the Union Cabinet on 4 November 2026, how many surveys does the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation propose to conduct during the 16th Finance Commission cycle?
Show the answer
Answer: 59
Under VISTAR's first component, Comprehensive Statistical Operations and Strengthening of Ecosystem, MoSPI proposes to conduct 59 surveys during the 16th Finance Commission cycle, compared with 43 major surveys conducted previously. The scheme, with an outlay of Rs 4,371.10 crore for FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31, also covers Support for Statistical Strengthening for States/UTs and the 8th Economic Census.
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