Cabinet approves ₹4,371-crore overhaul of official statistics, with 8th Economic Census

The Union Cabinet has approved a ₹4,371.10-crore scheme to modernise how India collects and publishes official statistics, including the 8th Economic Census.

The scheme, called Viksit Bharat Initiative for Statistical Transformation, Analytics & Research (VISTAR), runs from FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. The government says it is meant to build a "dynamic, real-time and future-ready" statistical system with more timely and more granular data.

Three components

1. Statistical operations and ecosystem: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) plans 59 surveys in the 16th Finance Commission cycle, against 43 major surveys earlier. It will digitise statistical processes end to end and use artificial intelligence and machine learning for processing, validation and analysis. New measures are planned, including a Headline Index of Services Production and an Index of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises.
2. Support for Statistical Strengthening (SSS 2.0): Funds will go to states and UTs under a deliverable-linked framework to build district-level capacity. MoSPI will help scale up district-level and million-plus-city estimates in surveys such as PLFS, HCES and ASUSE, and in state and district GDP and state-level IIP.
3. Economic Census: The 8th Economic Census, run with states and UTs, will cover non-farm establishments and the workers they hire down to Gram Panchayat and ward level.

Why it matters

The ministry says the census will give an assessment of the unorganised sector and a baseline for a National Statistical Business Register. It adds that data from mobile phones, scanners and e-commerce will be used to complement traditional surveys, reduce the burden on respondents and fill data gaps.

The release also mentions internships for students and research proposals from academic institutions. It does not give dates for the Economic Census.

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Source: official release by the Cabinet, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (04 NOV 2026 3:31PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: Cabinet approves ‘Viksit Bharat Initiative for Statistical Transformation, Analytics & Research (VISTAR)’, a central sector scheme for the period 2026-27 to 2030-31.