NEW DELHI: The NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya will sign off his assignment in the country by submitting a final report on employment to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is likely to argue that the employment data should be built on the basis of households surveys and not of enterprises.
Arguing that there had been mismatches between the data arrived at by the enterprise surveys as shown in the Economic Census of 2011 and the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), officials said that the NITI Aayog in its report would seek regular household mapping to get reliable data, which can map employment status in unorganised sector as well.
Incidentally, Panagariya had submitted a draft report last month wherein he had recommended utilising various platforms for employment data mapping to arrive at an accurate picture for the country.
Panagariya will be handing over the charge to the vice-chairman designate Rajiv Kumar on August 31.
He is also set to share his views on various issues, including the roadmap ahead for the NITI Aayog, besides challenges before the think-tank panel, with Kumar in the meeting.
Panagariya will commence his stint in the Columbia University from September 5, with the new academic session commencing.
The outgoing vice-chairman, who is also the first to lead the NITI Aayog, is learnt to be open to the idea of “informal” ties with the Central government and the states.
A legislative bill to scrap the medical council of India, which is his brainchild, is awaiting the Parliamentary nod, while Panagariya also sought to deepen the cooperative federalism by instilling competition among the states.
Panagariya holds Andhra Pradesh, Telanaga, Rajasthan and Jharkhand as states taking steps for reforms and development.
Under Panagariya, NITI Aayog took initiatives, including a ranking of states on various parameters, including health, education, ease of doing business and others.