THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The district-level launch of the 81st round of the National Sample Survey (NSS) was held at the Government Higher Secondary School, Thonnakkal. The programme was organised by the district office of the Department of Economics and Statistics. District panchayat president V Priyadarshini inaugurated the survey and released the survey brochure. Deputy Director of Economics and Statistics B Anish Kumar presided over the function.
The survey is being conducted jointly by the state Department of Economics and Statistics and the National Statistical Office. The three themes covered under the survey are: Land and Livestock Holding of Households, Situation Assessment of Rural Agricultural Households, and the All India Debt and Investment Survey.
Trained investigators from the Statistics Department will collect data using tablets and digital applications. Information will be gathered on rural households’ land ownership, livestock assets, agricultural income, indebtedness, investments and financial security. The survey will also cover urban and rural households’ liabilities, asset ownership, wealth composition and financial transactions.
Speaking at the inauguration, Priyadarshini said accurate statistics were essential for the proper planning of development schemes, including welfare programmes, agricultural and rural development initiatives, and credit schemes. It would help both the state and central governments identify beneficiaries and plan budgets. She appealed to the public to cooperate fully with the survey’s field officials, she said.
Anish Kumar said NSS data has helped in informed policymaking in social, economic and agricultural sectors since 1950. The current round’s data on rural indebtedness, asset ownership and financial transactions would help design more effective schemes for farmers, he said.
