Sixth Economic Census

The Sixth Economic Census is conducted on All India basis covering all the States and UTs in the country. It is scheduled to be conducted during April-Nov’2012. The Economic Census is known to be one of the most complex and massive administrative exercises in which all establishments – whether households or non-households, big or small, in the Private or Public sector – are enumerated.

It is a Central Sector Scheme, with 100% Central Assistance and is to be conducted in all the States and Union Territories of the country, in collaboration with State/UT Governments. The Scheme proposes to provide up-to-date information on operational and other characteristics, viz., number of establishments; number of persons employed; source of finance; type of ownership, religion code and social group of propriety establishments, according to their industrial activity including their distribution at all-India, State, district, village/ward levels for comprehensive analysis of the structure of the economy which will be used for micro level/ decentralized planning and also for undertaking detailed follow up sample surveys to assess contribution of various sectors of the economy in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

2. Background

2.1 The Central Sector scheme on Economic Census (EC) and Follow-up Surveys was for the first time formulated by the then Central Statistical Organization (CSO) way back in 1976 with the following two main objectives:

            (a) To provide a frame (list) of all establishments in the country from which samples could be drawn for collecting detailed information on operational and economic variables for any specific industry; and

            (b) To compile information on these variables/parameters of all the establishments of the country including their distribution at All-India, State/District etc., levels for comprehensive analysis of the structure of the economy.

2.2 Since then five such EC’s have been conducted so far, during the years 1977, 1980, 1990, 1998 and 2005. The Economic Census data, over the years, have provided a base for under taking follow up surveys by NSSO and other governmental and non-governmental agencies to study the structure and composition of the various industrial sectors and their contribution. Further, the data from ECs have been used by the Office of Development Commissioner (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) in the formulation of sample design for collecting data from the unregistered SSI sector in the third census as well as in the recently conducted Fourth All-India Census cum Sample Survey of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (2008-09).

3. The main objectives for conducting the 6^th EC are as under:

a) To provide detailed information on operational and other variable, activity wise, of all the establishments (excluding crop production, plantation, public administration, defence and compulsory social security) of the country including their distribution at all- India, State, district, village/ward levels for comprehensive analysis of the structure of the economy (macro, micro, regional levels) and for benchmark purposes;

b) To provide updated Directory of Establishments employing 10 or more workers up to the village/ward level for local level planning purposes and use the same as an input for the development of National Business Register, which would be useful for estimation of District Domestic Product;

c) To provide an up to date frame (list) from which samples could be drawn for collecting detailed information.

4. Implementation of Scheme:

4.1 The Sixth Economic Census will be a joint effort of CSO and DES’s in States/UTs. The overall responsibility of organization and conduct of Census will rest with CSO, Ministry of Statistics and PI while the field work and its supervision, scrutiny and coding of data will be done by DESs of the respective States/UTs.

4.2 The field work of Sixth EC is to be undertaken with the help of grass root officials named as ‘enumerator’, possessing at least Senior Secondary education, posted in State/UT Govts., on honorarium basis or by hiring persons on contract basis, in both rural and urban areas depending upon the States’ strength of field vis-à-vis their work load.

4.3 The supervision of field work will be entrusted to the respective supervisory officers of the concerned Deptt./ Agencies. The work of 2/3 enumerators would be supervised by a supervisor, who is atleast a graduate in qualification.

4.4 The work of Supervisors would be monitored by Charge Officers (Tehsildar, BDO etc.) the progress of the work at state level would be controlled and monitored by District Statistical Office under the overall guidance of District Collector, who is also the Chairman of the District level Monitoring committee constituted by the State Govt. for Sixth EC.

4.5 Further the Director, State/UT DECs is the over all in-charge for the conduct of Sixth EC in the State/UT, who works under the guidance and directions of the Chief Secretary/Planning Secretary or Senior Officer nominated by the Chief Secretary.

4.6 Necessary arrangements for two days training to primary enumerators and Supervisors will be made before the conduct of Field work. This training will be preceded by the training of master trainers from the State DESs.

4.7 The scanning/ data entry, processing of data & tabulation at state level will be undertaken by Data Processing Agencies to be decided by the CSO. Aggregation of some specified economic characteristics and estimates at Tehsil and at Distt. Level based on a quick scanning and tabulation (utilizing the services of primary enumerators & staff of DSO & DSEs) will be undertaken. Thereafter, provisional results at state level & all India level will be released quickly by CSO. Overall guidance in data processing, tabulation at all India level, development of unified software for data processing, designing of tabulation plan etc, will be responsibility of CSO besides conducting national level (all-India) training for master trainers at State level and also supervising the State/District level training in the States.

4.8 The scheme envisages to cover all the 24.7 lakh Population Census (2011) Enumeration Blocks, each consisting of about 600 persons and it will cover all the 24 crore households of the country. In addition it will cover approximately 50 million enterprises/establishments. The field work of the Census will be taken up between April-Nov’ 2012. For the Census 12.36 lakh field staff will be deployed and trained through 20785 training programmes.

4.9 In the Census about 5 Crore ICR enabled Schedules will be canvassed, scanned and processed. Thereafter, a) Quick Results, b) All India Report and State wise reports, c) State wise Directories of Establishments, will be released within 2 months, one year and 15 months respectively, of the completion of field work. The total process will be completed in a period of 30 months i.e. by June, 2014. The total cost of Census is estimated at Rs. 763.49 crore.