The 26th edition of Central and State Statistical Organizations(COCSSO) Conference was organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in collaboration with Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Himachal Pradeshat Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh on 15th and 16th November, 2018. Union Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Shri Vijay Goel inaugurated the conference on 15th November, 2018 in presence of Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Government of Himachal Pradesh, Shri Kishan Kapoor. Senior officials from different Central government Ministries/Departments and State/UT government agencies took part in the Conference.

COCSSO is an annual conference which provides a platform for the Central and State statisticians to exchange views and discuss common issues relating to statistical activities. The theme of the 26th Conference was “Quality Assurance in Official Statistics”.

A number of papers related to theme were presented by Central Ministries/Departments at the conference. These include- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Labour and Employment etc.  Various States/UTs, Directorate of Economics and Statistics also shared their experiences in this area. A number of recommendations were made during the conference on the issues of ensuing and enhancing quality of data brought out by Central and State Governments. The Conference also came out with a series of recommendations for strengthening the statistical system of the country.

Quality assurance in official statistics shaped recommendations to enhance data quality and strengthen the national statistical system. The conference focused on quality assurance in official statistics, with Central Ministries and State/UT statistical agencies presenting papers and sharing experiences. It concluded with recommendations aimed at ensuring and enhancing the quality of government data and strengthening the national statistical system through improved coordination and institutional processes.