The Field Operations Division (FOD) of the National Statistics Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, will conduct the 81st Round of the National Sample Survey (NSS) from July 2026 to June 2027 across the country.
The survey will focus on three major areas: the Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households (SASH), the All-India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS), and the Migration Survey. The exercise aims to gather comprehensive data on land and livestock holdings, income sources, productive assets, indebtedness, agricultural practices, and migration trends.
According to officials, the findings will provide valuable insights into the socio-economic conditions of households and support evidence-based policymaking, development planning, and welfare initiatives at both state and national levels.
To ensure effective implementation, the NSO Regional Office in Shillong is conducting a four-day Regional Training Camp for field officials from June 8 to 10, followed by field training on June 11. The programme is also being attended by officers and representatives from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), Government of Meghalaya.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Marvin L. S. F. Marwein, Joint Director at the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Meghalaya, highlighted the importance of NSS data in governance, planning, budgeting, and policy formulation. He noted that Meghalaya has a unique socio-economic characteristic, with a significant proportion of land owned by women, and stressed the need for maintaining the highest standards of data quality.
Delivering the keynote address, Orenthung Patton, Deputy Director, Regional Office Shillong, emphasized the use of digital tablets for accurate and efficient data collection. He said the surveys would generate crucial information on agricultural households, debt patterns, asset ownership, and migration dynamics, helping governments design targeted welfare programmes and assess policy outcomes. He encouraged trainees to actively participate in the programme and prepare themselves as “data warriors” for field operations. He also appealed to the public to cooperate by providing accurate information, which is essential for producing reliable statistical estimates for Meghalaya and the country.
