NSO Holds National Training Workshop for ASUSE 2026 and PLFS 2026 in New Delhi

A total of 300 senior officials and master trainers from Zonal, Regional and Sub-Regional Offices—including the Household Survey Division (HSD) and Enterprise Survey Division (EnSD), Kolkata—participated.

The National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) held a one-day All-India Workshop of Trainers (AIWOT) on 17 December 2025 at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.The workshop is a critical preparatory exercise ahead of field operations for two of India's most significant statistical undertakings: the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2026 and the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2026.

A total of 300 senior officials and master trainers from Zonal, Regional and Sub-Regional Offices—including the Household Survey Division (HSD) and Enterprise Survey Division (EnSD), Kolkata—participated.

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ASUSE and PLFS: Cornerstones of India's Statistical System

Inaugurating the workshop, Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI, emphasised that ASUSE and PLFS generate vital datasets on labour markets, employment trends and India's vast unincorporated sector, which forms the backbone of economic activity in manufacturing, trade and services.

He noted:

• Policymakers increasingly depend on high-quality, granular data for evidence-based decision-making.

• The United Nations now recognises data as a strategic asset, making reliability and timely availability more crucial than ever.

• With growing use of analytics and AI, the integrity of field-level data becomes foundational to policy outcomes.

• Uniform understanding of survey concepts and rigorous training for field staff are essential, particularly for improving district-level estimates.

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Modernising Data Collection: From Paper to CAPI

Smt. Geeta Singh Rathore, Director General, NSS, highlighted the global reputation of the National Sample Survey for transparent, large-scale, scientifically designed surveys. She noted NSS's transition from traditional paper-based surveys to Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), improving efficiency, data accuracy and real-time validation.

She explained that conceptual and operational enhancements have been made in ASUSE and PLFS based on user feedback and the evolving policy landscape, and the workshop ensures uniform understanding before field rollout.

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Senior Officers Stress Rigorous Training, Coordination and Data Quality

Officers from NSS's Field Operations Division (FOD), EnSD, HSD and Coordination & Quality Control Division (CQCD) underscored:

• Importance of effective supervision to maintain data quality

• Need for reliability, transparency and standardisation

• Encouragement of structured field feedback for continuous improvement

They highlighted that user trust in official statistics depends on methodological rigor and consistent quality assurance.

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ASUSE 2026: Expanded Coverage and Updated Classifications

ASUSE 2026 will profile economic and operational characteristics of unincorporated non-agricultural establishments across manufacturing, trade and services.

Key updates include:

• Adoption of NIC–2025 (National Industrial Classification)

• Alignment with CPC 3.0 (Central Product Classification)

• New data collection on inward transportation charges, covering freight and cartage cost by rail, road, water and air

These enhancements will improve accuracy of cost structures and productivity analyses.

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PLFS 2026: New Questions on Platform Economy and Enhanced Industry Coding

PLFS remains the primary source of official labour statistics in India.

From January 2026, new features include:

1. Measurement of Platform Workers

PLFS will now capture data on the volume of platform-based employment, defined as work intermediated by digital platforms—critical for understanding India's rapidly expanding gig and platform economy.

2. Adoption of NIC–2025 for Industry Details

Updated industry classifications aligned with ISIC Revision 5 (UN) allow:

• Far more granular economic activity data

• Better comparability with global datasets

• Improved cross-country labour market analysis

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Nationwide Implementation Begins January 2026

Both ASUSE and PLFS 2026 will cover the entire Indian Union, excluding remote villages in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.Master trainers who attended AIWOT will now conduct regional and zonal training sessions to prepare enumerators and supervisors.

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A Reaffirmation of India's Commitment to High-Quality Statistics

The workshop concluded with a collective commitment to professionalism, methodological rigor and quality enhancement.Through ASUSE 2026 and PLFS 2026, India aims to further strengthen its statistical architecture, ensuring that policy decisions are grounded in accurate, timely and internationally comparable data.