Government decisions often depend on reliable information about jobs, businesses, prices and people’s living conditions. Good data helps officials understand changing needs and plan public services.
The Union Cabinet has approved a new programme called VISTAR to improve India’s official statistics system.
The Viksit Bharat Initiative for Statistical Transformation, Analytics and Research will run from 2026–27 to 2030–31, with a budget of ₹4,371.10 crore.
The programme will support large surveys, research and the use of digital tools. It also plans to bring artificial intelligence into regular data work, including checking and analysing information.
Under the scheme, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation plans to conduct 59 surveys during the 16th Finance Commission period.
The programme will also support state governments in improving district-level data. It includes plans for the 8th Economic Census, which will collect information about non-farm businesses and workers.
The initiative aims to make official data more useful for planning and policy decisions.
