BS News Agency, PIB: The Sampling and Official Statistics Unit (SOSU) of the Indian Statistical Institute has organized a two-day conference titled “Indian Official Statistics Conclave on Theoretical and Empirical Issues (OCTEI 2026)” on November 3 and 4, 2026. The inaugural function of the conference was held today at the Platinum Jubilee Auditorium of the Institute. The Chief Guest was Prof. S. Mahendra Deb, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and former Director and Vice-Chancellor, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research.
Speaking at the inaugural function, Prof. S. Mahendra Deb said, “Currently, there is a massive modernization of the system in terms of data sources, repeatability, accuracy and technology. However, the effectiveness of these reforms will depend on the quality of the underlying methods and the trust people have in them.” He also delivered the keynote address to the participants of the conference. He also stressed the need for research on various aspects of government statistics, including changes in the base year for calculating index numbers, estimation of District Domestic Product.
Professor Amartya Kumar Dutta, Director, Indian Statistical Institute, delivered the welcome address. In his address, he highlighted the various activities of the institute, especially the activities of the Sampling and Official Statistics Unit. He said that the institute is reimagining renaissance and contributing to nation building. Professor Shaibal Kar, Director, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata, CTRPFP and RBI Chair Professor of Economics and eminent policy researcher, was present as the chief guest on the occasion. The guest of honour was Swami Sarvotbanandaji Maharaj, Vice Chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Belur Math and eminent educationist. Both stressed the need for a data repository for policy making and the use of modern technology, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), for this purpose.
Professor Shaibal Chatterjee, former Director of IIM Calcutta and Chairperson of the National Statistical Commission, Government of India, and Professor Bimal Roy (retd.), former Chairman of NSC and former Director of ISI, also presented their speeches. This was followed by the second session of the inaugural function.
Chairperson of the organizing committee, Professor Debashis Pal, delivered the introductory speech and Professor Sandeep Mitra proposed the vote of thanks.
The second day of the programme will begin with the third session. This session will discuss various issues related to Indian government statistics. The session will be chaired by S. P. Mukherjee, Chairman of the Governing Body of BIS and former Professor of Statistics and Information Management, RBI. The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. G. C. Manna, former Director, Central Statistical Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). Other speakers will be Shri Onkar Prasad Ghosh, Shri P. C. Mohanan and Dr. C. P. Vinod Kumar, retired IIS officers.
This will be followed by the fourth session on Official Data Analytics for Policy. This session will be chaired by Shri Shivshankar Chatterjee, JAT, IIM Calcutta. The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Pulak Ghosh, IIM Bengaluru. Other speakers will be Dr. Uttam Kumar Pal and Dr. Hinaish Green, Lead Economist, Poverty and Equity Global Practice, World Bank.
The second day of the programme will conclude with a high-level panel discussion on agricultural research. The discussion will be chaired by Shri Janakiramrao R. Regoti, Additional Director General (ADG), Ministry of Tourism, Union Government. Expert views will be shared by Smt. Radhika R. Ashwin, Deputy Director General (DDG), NITI Aayog, Smt. Sharvari Butola, Executive Director, LEAD and Dr. Swarna Bhattacharya.