Statistics, labour ministries should collaborate to track impact of PM Viksit Bharat Scheme: Labour secretary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the PM Viksit Bharat scheme on August 15 with an outlay of nearly Rs 1 lakh crore

The statistics and labour ministries should work together to assess the impact of new initiatives like the PM Viksit Bharat Scheme, which aims to incentivise industry to create 35 million jobs for youth by 2027, Union labour secretary Vandana Gurnani said on August 28.

“We are committed to studying the impact of this initiative, whether this will lead to growth in jobs,” Gurnani said at the Data User Conference on Periodic Labour Force Survey organised by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the PM Viksit Bharat scheme on August 15 with an outlay of nearly Rs 1 lakh crore. The labour ministry is also studying the employment impact of the Prayas initiative, which tracks the effectiveness of government schemes.

Triangulating data for better insights

Gurnani highlighted the importance of triangulating survey data with administrative sources, especially social security contributions from EPFO and ESIC, which are available in real time.

“Triangulation of data will help us create systems for youth in the country and help us leverage the demographic dividend,” she said.

Push for granular statistics

MoSPI Secretary Saurabh Garg noted that India’s statistical system is moving towards deeper reforms, with a strong emphasis on district-level granularity and timeliness.

“The focus is to become more granular. We are talking with states to what sub-state level we can go, while retaining robustness,” Garg said.

The new Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) series, launched in January 2025, has shifted to the district as the primary spatial unit and more than doubled its sample size. The annual survey now covers 2.72 lakh households, up from 1 lakh earlier, and over 10 lakh individuals.

The revamped design also seeks to capture new labour market realities, including household incomes and the status of those not in employment, education, or training. Garg emphasised the need to shorten the time lag between surveys, given India’s fast-evolving socio-economic landscape.