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Context:

The Union government to enhance the frequency and timeliness of key economic data releases from FY26 (2025-26) to better inform policy decisions.

New Private Capital Expenditure (Capex) Survey

Release Date: April 30, 2025.

Purpose: To measure the private sector’s capital investment intentions, covering both financial and non-financial corporations.

Scope:

• Data on capex incurred over the last three years and projections for the next two years (2024-25 and 2025-26).
• Breakdown by asset type (e.g., machinery, infrastructure) and industries (e.g., manufacturing, services).

Significance:

• Helps policymakers anticipate private investment trends, which drive economic growth, job creation, and corporate profits.
• Provides insights into sectors likely to attract major investments, aiding resource allocation and strategic planning .

Monthly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)

• Monthly data: Starting May 2025, released on the 15th of every month for the previous month (e.g., May 15 for April data).
• Quarterly data: Released one month after the quarter ends (e.g., August 18 for April–June data).
• Coverage: Rural and urban areas.

Key Indicators:

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): % of the working-age population in the labour force.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR): % of employed persons in the population.
• Unemployment Rate (UR): % of jobless but job-seeking individuals.

Adjustments:

• A back series for the past 12 months will be released, adjusted for higher standard error due to smaller sample sizes in monthly surveys.
• Standard error measures sampling variability; smaller samples (monthly) may have slightly less precision than larger ones (quarterly/annual) .

Revised Index of Industrial Production (IIP) Release Date

Current Schedule: Released on the 12th of every month, reflecting data from two months prior (e.g., February 12 for December data).

New Schedule: Starting April 2025, released on the 28th of every month, capturing data from the immediately preceding month (e.g., March 28 for February data).

Impact:

• Reduces the reporting lag from 42 days to around 30 days, aligning industrial output data more closely with real-time indicators like retail inflation.
• Aids the government and RBI in faster, data-driven policymaking .

Role of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)

• The NSSO, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), launched the PLFS in 2017.
• Currently, rural PLFS data is annual, urban data is quarterly, and an annual combined report is published.
• The shift to monthly PLFS releases aims to bridge gaps in labour market insights and align with other employment surveys (e.g., Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) weekly/monthly reports) .

Way Forward

• Faster data releases allow policymakers to respond more quickly to economic trends (e.g., industrial output, unemployment).
• Monthly labour force and capex data provide better insights into sector-specific investments and job market dynamics.
• Aligns economic indicators (e.g., IIP, inflation) for comprehensive decision-making by the government and RBI.

Must Read Articles:

Periodic Labour Force Survey by NSSO

National Statistical Office (NSO)

Source:

INDIAN EXPRESS

https://t.me/+hJqMV1O0se03Njk9