Shaky Data

THERE is mounting evidence that the quality of industrial statistics, particularly production statistics, has deteriorated badly in recent years, On closer scrutiny one finds that this has not entirely to do with the economic liberalisation and the delicensing of industries. No doubt the removal of licensing requirements may have encouraged industrial units to not supply the relevant data as regularly and promptly as in the past, but the problem has much to do also with the whole system of reporting industrial statistics and had originated prior to the economic reforms.