National Sample Survey Organisation

The National Sample Survey Organisation or NSSO, now National Sample Survey Office is an organization in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation of the Government of India. It is the largest organisation in India conducting regular socio-economic surveys.

Origin and functions of NSSO

The National Sample Survey (NSS), initiated in the year 1950, is a nation-wide, large-scale, continuous survey operation conducted in the form of successive rounds. It was established on the basis of a proposal from P.C. Mahalanobis to fill up data gaps for socio-economic planning and policy making through sample surveys.

In March 1970, the NSS was reorganised and all aspects of its work were brought under a single Government organisation, namely the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) under the overall direction of Governing Council to impart objectivity and autonomy in the matter of collection, processing and publication of the NSS data.

The Governing Council consisted of experts from within and outside the Government and was headed by an eminent economist/statistician and the member-Secretary of the Council was Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NSSO. The Governing Council was empowered to take all technical decisions in respect of the survey work, from planning of survey to release of survey results. After the formation of National Statistical Commission in 2005, the Governing Council of NSSO has been dissolved from 30.08.2006 and in its place Steering...
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