The Collection of Statistics Act, 2008

(1) This Act may be called the Collection ofStatistics Act, 2008. 1[(2) It extends to the whole of India: 2*****]. (3) It shall come into force on such date3as the Central Government may, by notification in theOfficial Gazette, appoint.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-- (a) "agency" includes a person or persons engaged by the appropriate Government, directly orby outsourcing, for collection of statistics; (b) "appropriate Government" means-- (i) any Ministry or Department in the Central Government; or (ii) any Ministry or Department in a State Government or Union territory Administration; or (iii) any local government that is to say, Panchayats or Municipalities, as the case may be,in relation to the collection of statistics under a direction issued by it under section 3; (c) informant means any person, who supplies or is required to supply statistical informationand includes a owner or occupier or person in-charge or his authorised representative in respect ofpersons or a firm registered under the Indian Partnership Act, 1932 (9 of 1932) or a co-operativesociety registered under any Co-operative Societies Act or a company registered under theCompanies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) or a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860(21 of 1860) or any association recognised or registered under any law for the time being in force; (d) "information schedule" means any book, document, form, card, tape, disc or any storagemedia on which information required is entered or recorded or is required to be entered or recordedfor statistical purposes under this Act; 1[(da) "nodal officer" means the officer designated as a nodal officer under sub-section (1) ofsection 3A;]. (e) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (f) "sampling" means a statistical procedure by which information relating to a particular fieldof inquiry is derived by applying statistical techniques to information obtained in respect of aproportion of the total number of persons or units concerned relevant to the field of inquiry; (g) "statistical" survey means a census or a survey, whereby information is collected from allthe informants in the field of inquiry or from a sample thereof, by an appropriate Governmentunder this Act or any other relevant Act, wholly or primarily for the purposes of processing andsummarising by appropriate statistical procedures; (h) "statistics" means statistics derived by collecting, classifying and using statistics, speciallyin or for large quantities or numbers by appropriate Government from statistical surveys,administrative and registration records, and other forms and papers, the statistical analysis ofwhich are, whether in a published or unpublished form; (i) "statistics officer" means any officer appointed under section 4 for the purposes of anydirection issued under section 3 of this Act.

The appropriate Government may, by notification in the OfficialGazette, direct that the statistics on economic, demographic, social, scientific and environmentalaspects shall be collected through a statistical survey or otherwise, and thereupon the provisions ofthis Act shall apply in relation to those statistics: Provided that-- (a) nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to authorise a State Government or Unionterritory Administration or any local government to issue any direction with respect to thecollection of statistics relating to any matter falling under any of the entries specified in List I(Union List) in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution; or (b) where the Central Government has issued any direction under this section for the collectionof statistics relating to any matter, no State Government or Union territory Administration or anylocal government shall, except with the previous approval of the Central Government, issue anysimilar direction for so long as the collection of such statistics by the Central Government remainto be completed; or (c) where a State Government or Union territory Administration or any local government hasissued a direction under this section for the collection of statistics relating to any matter, theCentral Government shall not issue any similar direction for so long as the collection of suchstatistics by the State Government remain to be completed, except in cases where such statisticshave to be collected with reference to two or more States or Union territories.

1[3A. Nodal officer.--(1) The Central Government or a State Government or Union territoryAdministration shall designate one of its officers as a nodal officer for the purposes of statisticsunder this Act. (2) The nodal officer shall coordinate and supervise such statistical activities in the CentralGovernment or the State Government or Union territory Administration, as the case may be, inwhich he is designated, and shall exercise such other powers and perform such other duties, as maybe prescribed.].

(1) The appropriateGovernment may appoint or cause to appoint an officer to be the statistics officer for any geographicalunit for the purpose of collecting any statistics directed by it. (2) The appropriate Government may appoint any agency or persons working in such agencies totake, or aid in, or supervise the collection of the statistics within any specified geographical unit andsuch agencies or persons, when so appointed, shall be bound to serve accordingly. (3) The appropriate Government may employ on contract basis any agency or company ororganisation or association or person, on such terms and conditions and on such safeguards as may beprescribed, for the purpose of collecting the statistics directed by it. (4) The appropriate Government may delegate to any statistics officer, as it thinks fit, the power ofappointing agencies or persons working in such agencies or employing on contract basis any agencyor company or organisation or association of persons, conferred on it by sub-sections (2) and (3)within the geographical unit for which such statistics officer is appointed. (5) The appropriate Government may, by order specify the form, the particulars required or theinterval within which, and the statistics officer to whom, the statistical information by the informantsshall be furnished. (6) The appropriate Government may, by order published in the Official Gazette, delegate to anystatistics officer, as it thinks fit, any power conferred under sub-section (5) for the purpose of thecollection of statistics under a direction issued by it under section 3.