New Delhi, March 19 -- Even before we could get to see the results of the seventh economic census (conducted in 2019-20), plans are afoot to conduct the eighth one in the coming months. India's economic census is supposed to be a comprehensive database of all firms in the country, including micro-enterprises. It is supposed to be conducted every five years and serve as a sampling frame for informal-sector surveys. These surveys are then used to estimate the informal sector's contribution to national output.

Ever since the first economic census was launched in the mid-70s, there have been recurrent complaints regarding data quality: both from within the statistical establishment and from outside. Since the economic census is conducted joi...