Hans News Service
Visakhapatnam
A three-day-long all-India workshop on state income and related aggregates with the new base year (2022–23) for officers of the Directorates of Economics and Statistics (DES) of States/UTs began in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
Organised by the National Accounts Division (NAD) of the National Statistics Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the workshop aims to familiarise states/UTs with the methodological changes introduced at the national level and promote uniformity, transparency and comparability in regional accounts statistics.
Attending as chief guest Secretary, MoSPI Saurabh Garg emphasised the importance of GSDP as a key indicator for determining states’ borrowing limits and for the devolution of Central taxes.
He highlighted that the availability of GST data enables the preparation of expenditure-side estimates, which can be used to cross-validate estimates compiled through the production approach, thereby enhancing their robustness.
He also stressed the importance of states’ active participation in surveys such as ASUSE and PLFS for generating reliable district-level estimates, particularly for the informal sector.
Referring to ‘Sadhana Saptah 2026’ under Mission Karmayogi, he underscored the role of data-driven decision-making and administration.
Speaking on the occasion, Principal Secretary (Finance & Planning) Peeyush Kumar highlighted that the shift in base year from 2011–12 to 2022–23 is a crucial reassessment to capture structural changes in the economy.
He also emphasised the importance of District Domestic Product (DDP) in understanding district-level economic structures and stated that the revised series would present a more realistic picture of Andhra Pradesh’s economy after its bifurcation.
Additional Director General (National Accounts Division), MoSPI Siddhartha Kundu highlighted that adopting the new base year is a critical step toward ensuring that national accounts remain relevant and reflective of economic transformations. He emphasised the foundational role of states in providing accurate and timely data, which is essential for the reliability of national aggregates.
Deputy Director General (National Accounts Division) MoSPI Subhra Sarker, Director, Directorate of Economics and Statistics B Gopal, Deputy Director, Directorate of Economics and Statistics Subba Rao addressed the gathering.
Around 125 participants from MoSPI, New Delhi and 31 States/UTs will take part in the workshop that will continue till April 10.
• Experts from 31 States and UTs are transitioning to a 2022–23 base year, moving away from the decade-old 2011–12 series.
• This shift ensures economic data reflects modern market realities and structural changes post-pandemic.
• MoSPI Secretary Saurabh Garg notes that GSDP is the benchmark for state borrowing limits and Central tax devolution.
• The workshop places heavy focus on DDP to map economic health at the local level.