Informing Policy, Inspiring Change: National Symposium on ‘How NSS Surveys Have Influenced Public Policy’
Event hosted at IIM Bangalore marks landmark occasion of National Sample Survey’s 75 years of dedicated service to the nation, contributing to evidence-based decision-making and shaping of government policies
9 October, 2025, Bengaluru: IIM Bangalore, in collaboration with the National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, hosted a national symposium on, ‘How NSS Surveys Have Influenced Public Policy’ on 9th October 2025, at the IIMB campus. The event marked the landmark occasion of 75 years of dedicated service to the nation, contribution to evidence-based decision-making and shaping of government policies by the National Sample Survey (NSS), under the MoSPI, Government of India. The other participating institutes of the symposium were Azim Premji University (APU), the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Bengaluru. The symposium provided a platform to reflect upon the glorious legacy of the NSS and bring together central ministries/departments, state governments, international organizations, institutions, etc. to deliberate on the contributions of NSS in shaping public policy and to explore its future role in strengthening governance for a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
The event saw around 200 participants, comprising researchers, academicians, economists, policymakers, and representatives from international organizations, enterprises, industrial associations, trade bodies, as well as top institutions from academia and the media. Domain experts and members of the National Statistical Commission (NSC), Steering Committee and other Expert Committees of NSS were also present.
The symposium was inaugurated by Dr. Saurabh Garg (IAS), Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, GoI. Dr. Ashok Dalwai (Retd. IAS), Chairman, Institute for Social and Economic Change, was the Chief Guest and delivered the keynote address. Also present at the event were Ms. Geeta Singh Rathore, Director General, National Sample Survey; Prof. Gopal Naik, Chairperson, Senior Fellow and Jal Jeevan Mission Chair Professor at the Centre for Public Policy (CPP), IIMB, and Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Professor In-charge, New Campus and faculty of the Strategy area, IIMB. Prof. Aditya Shrinivas, faculty of the Economics area of IIMB, was one of the key organizers of the symposium.
The inaugural session was followed by technical sessions, three panel discussions and an open interaction with participants.
The technical session of the symposium titled, ‘Key New Initiatives that Transformed NSO’, was led by Shri Salil Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Additional Director General, Enterprise Survey Division, NSO, MoSPI. It highlighted the major methodological and technological reforms in NSS surveys, including high frequency data, district-level estimates and digital transformation.
The symposium featured three panel discussions. The first, ‘NSS Data for Public Policy and Public Use’, saw professors, researchers, data scientists and policy experts discussing the role of NSS data in addressing public policy priorities and improving accessibility. The second panel, ‘NSS Data for Research – Highlights and Challenges’, brought together senior NSS Officers, subject experts and academicians to deliberate on the use of NSS data in research and methodological challenges. The third panel discussion, ‘Future Relevance of Unit-Level Data’, featured experts including Prof. Pulak Ghosh, faculty of the Decision Sciences area, IIMB and Part-time Member, EAC-PM, Prof. Madhura Swaminathan, ISI Bangalore, Prof. Bharat Ramaswami, Ashoka University and Dr. Surjit Bhalla, former Part-time Member, EAC-PM. The panel was moderated by Prof. Amit Basole, Azim Premji University.
The discussions were followed by an interactive session with the audience. The event concluded with a summary of reflections and key takeaways from the various sessions of the symposium.
Since its inception in 1950, the National Sample Survey has conducted large-scale household and enterprise surveys on a wide range of socio-economic subjects. These surveys form the backbone of India’s statistical system and are used extensively in policy formulation, planning and programme evaluation, and strategic decisions by international organizations, government agencies, industrialists, policymakers, academicians, researchers, think tanks, as well as various ministries and departments. Embracing technological and methodological reforms, including the e-SIGMA platform, NSS currently delivers more timely and precise insights, with quarterly and monthly reports and district-level estimates, ensuring data that drives evidence-based decisions.
Click here for photo gallery
Informing Policy, Inspiring Change: National Symposium on ‘How NSS Surveys Have Influenced Public Policy’
Event hosted at IIM Bangalore marks landmark occasion of National Sample Survey’s 75 years of dedicated service to the nation, contributing to evidence-based decision-making and shaping of government policies
9 October, 2025, Bengaluru: IIM Bangalore, in collaboration with the National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, hosted a national symposium on, ‘How NSS Surveys Have Influenced Public Policy’ on 9th October 2025, at the IIMB campus. The event marked the landmark occasion of 75 years of dedicated service to the nation, contribution to evidence-based decision-making and shaping of government policies by the National Sample Survey (NSS), under the MoSPI, Government of India. The other participating institutes of the symposium were Azim Premji University (APU), the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Bengaluru. The symposium provided a platform to reflect upon the glorious legacy of the NSS and bring together central ministries/departments, state governments, international organizations, institutions, etc. to deliberate on the contributions of NSS in shaping public policy and to explore its future role in strengthening governance for a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
The event saw around 200 participants, comprising researchers, academicians, economists, policymakers, and representatives from international organizations, enterprises, industrial associations, trade bodies, as well as top institutions from academia and the media. Domain experts and members of the National Statistical Commission (NSC), Steering Committee and other Expert Committees of NSS were also present.
The symposium was inaugurated by Dr. Saurabh Garg (IAS), Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, GoI. Dr. Ashok Dalwai (Retd. IAS), Chairman, Institute for Social and Economic Change, was the Chief Guest and delivered the keynote address. Also present at the event were Ms. Geeta Singh Rathore, Director General, National Sample Survey; Prof. Gopal Naik, Chairperson, Senior Fellow and Jal Jeevan Mission Chair Professor at the Centre for Public Policy (CPP), IIMB, and Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Professor In-charge, New Campus and faculty of the Strategy area, IIMB. Prof. Aditya Shrinivas, faculty of the Economics area of IIMB, was one of the key organizers of the symposium.
The inaugural session was followed by technical sessions, three panel discussions and an open interaction with participants.
The technical session of the symposium titled, ‘Key New Initiatives that Transformed NSO’, was led by Shri Salil Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Additional Director General, Enterprise Survey Division, NSO, MoSPI. It highlighted the major methodological and technological reforms in NSS surveys, including high frequency data, district-level estimates and digital transformation.
The symposium featured three panel discussions. The first, ‘NSS Data for Public Policy and Public Use’, saw professors, researchers, data scientists and policy experts discussing the role of NSS data in addressing public policy priorities and improving accessibility. The second panel, ‘NSS Data for Research – Highlights and Challenges’, brought together senior NSS Officers, subject experts and academicians to deliberate on the use of NSS data in research and methodological challenges. The third panel discussion, ‘Future Relevance of Unit-Level Data’, featured experts including Prof. Pulak Ghosh, faculty of the Decision Sciences area, IIMB and Part-time Member, EAC-PM, Prof. Madhura Swaminathan, ISI Bangalore, Prof. Bharat Ramaswami, Ashoka University and Dr. Surjit Bhalla, former Part-time Member, EAC-PM. The panel was moderated by Prof. Amit Basole, Azim Premji University.
The discussions were followed by an interactive session with the audience. The event concluded with a summary of reflections and key takeaways from the various sessions of the symposium.
Since its inception in 1950, the National Sample Survey has conducted large-scale household and enterprise surveys on a wide range of socio-economic subjects. These surveys form the backbone of India’s statistical system and are used extensively in policy formulation, planning and programme evaluation, and strategic decisions by international organizations, government agencies, industrialists, policymakers, academicians, researchers, think tanks, as well as various ministries and departments. Embracing technological and methodological reforms, including the e-SIGMA platform, NSS currently delivers more timely and precise insights, with quarterly and monthly reports and district-level estimates, ensuring data that drives evidence-based decisions.
Click here for photo gallery