To streamline and strengthen the statistical system, the government has decided to merge the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) and the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) to form a National Statistical Office (NSO). The move is a follow-up of a decision taken in 2005, during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s tenure, which was based on recommendations of the report of the National Statistical Commission, headed by former Reserve Bank of India governor C Rangarajan.

Both the wings are currently part of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). While the NSSO comes out with various sample surveys such as on consumption expenditure, employment and unemployment, the CSO releases various data such as GDP and IIP.

Central Statistical Organisation (CSO)

• The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is a governmental agency in India under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation responsible for co-ordination of statistical activities in India, and evolving and maintaining statistical standards. It has a well-equipped Graphical Unit.
• The CSO is located in Delhi.
• Some portion of Industrial Statistics work pertaining to Annual Survey of industries is carried out in Calcutta. It deals with statistical data of different departments.

National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)

• The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) headed by a Director General is responsible for conduct of large scale sample surveys in diverse fields on All India basis.
• Primarily data are collected through nation-wide household surveys on various socio-economic subjects, Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), etc.
• Besides these surveys, NSSO collects data on rural and urban prices and plays a significant role in the improvement of crop statistics through supervision of the area enumeration and crop estimation surveys of the State agencies.
• It also maintains a frame of urban area units for use in sample surveys in urban areas.