HYDERABAD: The Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Telangana, which provides data on the state’s economy, agriculture, prices, rainfall and industries, is functioning with only about 63% of its sanctioned officer strength, raising concerns over its ability to handle an expanding workload.
As on August 3, only 101 of the 161 sanctioned posts, from director to statistical officer, were filled. The shortage extends to the mandal level, where only 311 of the state’s 621 mandals have a Mandal Planning Statistical Officer (MPSO).
The directorate collects and compiles data used for policy-making and conducts crop-cutting experiments to estimate agricultural yields. Of the 3,140 experiments conducted across Telangana to estimate paddy yields, the directorate handles about half, with the rest undertaken by the Agriculture Department. Officials said staff shortages at the mandal level were affecting operations, forcing existing personnel to take on additional work.
The shortage is particularly acute in some districts. Adilabad has only three MPSOs for 21 mandals, while Bhadradri Kothagudem has 15 vacancies against 23 posts.
Recruitment has not kept pace with the state’s expansion. Assistant directors were last recruited in 2013 and MPSOs in 2019. Fourteen deputy directors retired up to September 2026, while one deputy director, one joint director and one director are due to retire in 2027. The department’s ministerial staff is also short by about 50%.
The importance of reliable data in policy-making and economic planning has long been recognised in India. The Indian Statistical Institute, established by PC Mahalanobis in Kolkata, was declared an institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament in 1959. State directorates were set up to collect and compile data for their respective regions.
Analyst D Papa Rao said cronyism at the Centre and state levels had made data a casualty, adding that doubts were being raised internationally about India’s GDP figures. Unreliable data, he warned, could deter investors concerned about the health of the economy.
“We didn’t have such a situation when Manmohan Singh was the PM. Data reflected ups and downs in the economy. There is no market competition now. So the state government will also not bother to fill one-third of the posts,” he said.
An official said the staff shortage had not prevented the department from taking up major assignments, including the Samagra Kutumba Survey, socio-economic surveys for the NSSO, the caste survey and work related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
“The shortage is affecting our regular work. We are also part of the population census and revision of summary electoral rolls,” the official said.
A researcher who uses the department’s data said the availability of detailed district-level information had declined. “They used to provide district-level data earlier. Why is it not being made available now?” he asked.
The directorate was formed by merging the Statistical Branch of the Board of Revenue of the erstwhile AP and the Bureau of Economics and Statistics of the erstwhile Hyderabad State. It later became the state’s nodal agency for statistical activities, working with central statistical agencies on various studies.
