(08 May 2023) Government Data Roundup: Reports & Draft Circulars/Papers by RBI, DST, NITI Aayog Among Those Released Recently

The 28th edition of the fortnightly government roundup covers reports, draft circulars/papers released by RBI, DST, NITI Aayog, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare among others.

In this 28^th edition of the fortnightly government data roundup, we look at the National Manufacturing Innovation Survey by the Department of Space and Technology, Report on Currency and Finance 2022-23 by the Reserve Bank of India, Best Practices in the social sector: A compendium 2023 by NITI Aayog, and National Health Accounts Estimates for India (2019-20). Further, the Union Cabinet approved the National Medical Devices Policy 2023. The policy is expected to help the growth of the medical devices sector from the current 11 billion USD to 50 billion USD in the next five years. 

Further, the Ministry of Jal Shakti recently released the report on the first-ever census of water bodies conducted across the nation, covering more than 24 lakh water bodies. The exercise has been carried out with the objective of developing a national database for all water bodies by including important information on most parameters related to the subject such as the size of the water body, usage, status of encroachments, storage capacity, status of filling up of storage, recovery works, and other details water census is the first ever of such type conducted in India. Factly’s story on the water census can be read here. 

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a consultation paper on ‘Definition of International Traffic’. It is open for comments till 30 May 2023. In addition, TRAI also released recommendations for ‘Ease of doing business in Telecom and broadcasting sector’. 

Among the monthly reports, CPI for Industrial Workers, Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) and payroll reporting were released. The explainer on key price indices can be read here. 

Key statistics from these reports are as below.

• The All-India CPI-IW for March 2023 increased by 0.6 points and stood at 133.3. On 1-month percentage change, it increased by 0.45%with respect to the previous month compared to an increase of 0.80% recorded between corresponding months a year ago.
• For the month of March 2023, the combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) increased by 3.6% (provisional) in March 2023 as compared to the Index of March 2022. The cumulative growth rate of ICI during 2022-23 was reported at 7.6% (provisional) as compared to the corresponding period of last year.
• Between September 2017 to February 2023, over 6.35 crore new subscribers joined Employee Provident Fund (EPF) scheme, around 8.02 crore joined the Employee State Insurance Corporation Scheme (ESIC), and 41.5 lakh new subscribers joined the National Pension Scheme (NPS). On a monthly basis, about 7.38 lakh new subscribers joined the EPF scheme in February 2023, less than the 8.19 lakh in the previous month. The number of new ESI subscribers during February 2023 was 12.26 lakh, down from 12.51 lakh in January 2023. 

National Manufacturing Innovation Survey (NMIS)

Brief about the report:

The Department of Science and Technology and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) collaborated on the NMIS 2021–22 study to assess how well Indian manufacturing companies innovate. The firm-level survey and the sectorial systems of innovation (SSI) survey are the two distinct parts of the NMIS 2021–22 survey. The firm-level survey collected information on the different sorts of inventions and inventive steps taken by businesses, as well as the innovation process and access to funding, resources, and knowledge. The manufacturing innovation system was mapped as part of the sectorial system of innovation survey, along with its role as an enabler of innovations in businesses. 

Key findings of the survey:

• The firm-level survey results were converted to India Manufacturing Innovation Index (IIMI), where Karnataka stood at the top, followed by Telangana and Tamil Nadu among major states. The survey found that the presence of enablers of innovation had a greater impact on performance than the absence of barriers.
• 25.01% of the 8,074 firms surveyed under the firm-level survey were considered innovative, while 73.76% did not introduce innovation (product or business process) during the survey period. 
• Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu had the highest share of innovative firms at 46.18%, 39.10% and 31.90%, respectively, while Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand reported the least with 12.78%, 13.47% and 13.71% respectively, among the total manufacturing firms surveyed from the respective states.
• The survey underlined how crucial it is for state governments to promote MSMEs’ innovation. It also advised the implementation of incentive programs tied to innovation across industries.
• Additionally, it suggested improving the standard and accessibility of firm-level and sectoral data on innovation as well as increasing private sector innovation investment through crowding in.

Report on currency and finance for 2023

Brief about the report:

The RBI releases a report on currency and finance annually. The theme of the Report is “Towards a Greener Cleaner India”. This Report, which is divided into four chapters, emphasizes the significance of climate objectives as a priority for policy and looks at the macroeconomic effects of climate change on India in the medium- to long term.

Key highlights:

• On the fiscal policy front, the report recommends implementing a broad-based carbon pricing system in accordance with developing global best practices. Secondly, given that carbon taxes are regressive, and the weaker segments of society are unable to switch to environmentally friendly forms of production and consumption patterns, other redistributive measures may be required in addition to it. Thirdly, an Emissions Trading System may be introduced that covers all economic sectors and is linked to a green taxonomy. Fourth, a successful green taxonomy is required to identify sustainable green assets and activities and to reduce the possibility of greenwashing.
• The report also recommends tweaking the CSR in Companies Act 2013 to broaden the scope of businesses, geographies, and timelines under which green projects can be adopted.
• Reduced margin requirements for sovereign green bonds (SGBs) used as collateral to obtain liquidity from the Reserve Bank and a reduction of reserve requirements for green credit are a few policies on the monetary front that could be looked into. The increased use of Central bank digital currencies by the general public can aid in reducing the carbon footprint.
• A level playing field for clean and dirty industries must be created to reduce the inefficiencies and policy biases in resource allocation. Further, eco-labelling, a market-based approach, can be used to boost both the supply and demand for environmentally friendly products. 

National Health Accounts Estimates for India (2019-20)

Brief about the draft:

National Health Accounts (NHA) is a mechanism for describing health spending and the flow of money in public and private sectors. This gives estimates of healthcare spending in India based on the National Health Accounts Guidelines for India, 2016. This is the seventh edition of NHA.

Key highlights:

• Total Health Expenditure (THE) for India is projected to be Rs. 6,55,822 crores in 2019–20 (3.27% of GDP). Of this, the capital expenditures are Rs. 62,163 crores (9.48% of THE) & current health expenditures (CHE) are Rs. 5,93,659 crores (90.52% of THE).
• The Union Government’s portion of the current health expenditures (CHE) is Rs. 72,059 crores (12.14%), and the State Governments’ portion is Rs. 1,18,927 crores (20.03%). The share of households is the highest, accounting for nearly sixty percent (59.24%). 
• Households spend Rs. 3,08,727 crores (47.07% of THE, 1.54% of GDP, and Rs. 2,289 per person) on out-of-pocket health expenses. The amount spent on private health insurance is Rs. 45,838 crores (or 6.99% of THE).
• In terms of current health spending, inpatient curative care accounted for Rs. 2,01,558 crores (33.94%), outpatient curative care for Rs. 1,14,548 crores (19.29%), prescribed medicines for Rs. 1,09,835 crores (18.50%), laboratory and imaging services for Rs. 23,983 crores (4.04%), and patient transportation for Rs. 20,879 crores (3.52%).
• Spending on Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) accounts for 4.36% of CHE while total pharmaceutical expenditures account for 35.11% of CHE.
• Out of the total current health expenditure (CHE), the government spends 55.9% on primary care, 29.6% on secondary care, and 6.4% on tertiary care, whereas private expenditure share for primary care stands at 37.2%, secondary care at 36.5%, and tertiary care at 23.3%. 

Best practices in social sector: A compendium 2023

Brief about the report:

This compendium is a collection of best practices in the social sector at the national and state-level policymaking in the areas of health, education, agriculture, information technology (IT), and the environment. It spotlights 75 best practices that achieved good results for communities as well as people. Over 200 innovative initiatives were reviewed, and 75 best practices were compiled with UNDP’s assistance. 

Key highlights

• On the agricultural front, the millets mission by Odisha and climate-resilient rice-fish farming undertaken in Assam are some of the best practices adopted.
• On the educational front, Home based education to children with multiple disabilities and profound/severe disabilities by Government of NCT of Delhi, and Kalika Chetarike – Activity-based learning in Karnataka are some best practices.
• In the environmental sector, Palle Prakruthi Vanam by Telangana, and Materials Recovery Facility by Karnataka to solve dry waste handling issues, and the adoption of EVs by the Delhi government are worth emulating.
• On the skill development aspect, Prayatna: Special Project for Transgenders by the Government of India, and Project Excel – progress of the marginalized in Gujarat stand out as best practices.
• In the field of health and nutrition, Nutri Garden Initiative by Rajasthan, HBNC+ for reducing Diarrhea and Pneumonia and improving nutrition by Odisha, and Mera Baccha Abhiyan: An initiative to fight malnutrition through public participation by Madhya Pradesh emerge as best practices.
• PM SVAnidhi, Blockchain-based caste certificates in Maharashtra, & Gaura SHG- Food Processing in Uttarakhand for women empowerment are some best practices.