1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Collection of
Statistics Act, 2008.
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[(2) It extends to the whole of India:
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(3) It shall come into force on such date3
as the Central Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “agency” includes a person or persons engaged by the appropriate Government, directly or
by outsourcing, for collection of statistics;
(b) “appropriate Government” means–
(i) any Ministry or Department in the Central Government; or
(ii) any Ministry or Department in a State Government or Union territory Administration; or
(iii) any local government that is to say, Panchayats or Municipalities, as the case may be,
in relation to the collection of statistics under a direction issued by it under section 3;
(c) “informant” means any person, who supplies or is required to supply statistical information
and includes a owner or occupier or person in-charge or his authorised representative in respect of
persons or a firm registered under the Indian Partnership Act, 1932 (9 of 1932) or a co-operative
society registered under any Co-operative Societies Act or a company registered under the
Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956) or a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860
(21 of 1860) or any association recognised or registered under any law for the time being in force;
(d) “information schedule” means any book, document, form, card, tape, disc or any storage
media on which information required is entered or recorded or is required to be entered or recorded
for statistical purposes under this Act;
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[(da) “nodal officer” means the officer designated as a nodal officer under sub-section (1) of
section 3A;].
(e) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
1. Subs. by Act 21 of 2017, s. 2, for sub-section (2) (w.e.f. 3-10-2017).
2. The proviso omitted by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Adaptation of Central Laws) Order, 2020, vide
notification No. S.O. 1123(E) dated (18-3-2020) and vide Union Territory of Ladakh Reorganisation (Adaptation of
Central Laws) Order, 2020, Notification No. S.O. 3774(E), dated (23-10-2020).
3. 11th June, 2010, vide notification No. S.O. 1416(E), dated 9th June, 2010, see Gazette of India, Extraordinary,
Part II, sec. 3(ii).
4. Ins. by Act 21 of 2017, s. 3 (w.e.f. 3-10-2017).
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(f) “sampling” means a statistical procedure by which information relating to a particular field
of inquiry is derived by applying statistical techniques to information obtained in respect of a
proportion of the total number of persons or units concerned relevant to the field of inquiry;
(g) “statistical survey” means a census or a survey, whereby information is collected from all
the informants in the field of inquiry or from a sample thereof, by an appropriate Government
under this Act or any other relevant Act, wholly or primarily for the purposes of processing and
summarising by appropriate statistical procedures;
(h) “statistics” means statistics derived by collecting, classifying and using statistics, specially
in or for large quantities or numbers by appropriate Government from statistical surveys,
administrative and registration records, and other forms and papers, the statistical analysis of
which are, whether in a published or unpublished form;
(i) “statistics officer” means any officer appointed under section 4 for the purposes of any
direction issued under section 3 of this Act.