Re: Aziz govt fudged economic data to painted rosy picture of the economy
Oh dear, what a shame. Jang/Geo group’s sloppy reporting exposed again, so anti-Musharraf people will have to go back to the drawing board and find some other false news to post. 
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=12563
**Govt clarifies report on cooked up growth **
ISLAMABAD: The government has clarified a news item titled “Government sees through cooked up growth” published in The News on Sunday.
In a press release, the Planning Commission said that the statements and conclusions of the news item were not factual and were based on fabricated imagination. The correct position is that the ECC of the Cabinet in its meeting held on 27th December, 2007, considered the data on industrial production and it was observed by the economic advisor, Ministry of Finance, that the data of industrial production suffered from under-reporting due to lack of coverage of small and under-organised industrial units (there was claim of under-reporting not over-reporting).
It was noted that the data on industries was currently collected by the Ministry of Industries and the provincial bureaus of statistics, who had difficulties in collecting the data because of the absence of an effective registration system for the industries and also because of lack of willingness of industrial establishments to provide figures in time.
A committee was constituted primarily to consider the issue and recommend measures for improvement in coverage of industrial sector output for data collection. The ECC also directed that legislation ensuring autonomy to the statistical authority be expedited.
The committee had its first meeting on January 17, 2008, and decided that the Ministry of Industries might put in place a system of registration of all industries and ensure timely collection of data on industrial production. The committee was also given a comprehensive briefing by the secretary statistics division on the statistical programme under implementation, the quality checks/third party validation efforts and progress on restructuring.
According to the press release, the committee expressed satisfaction on the measures adopted and the future plans. No member raised any doubt on the reliability of data but did express their concern on under-coverage of the unorganised sector.
The statistical offices i.e. the FBS and the ACO, collect data both through primary and secondary sources. Primary data is collected through surveys and studies while most of the data is collected from other government ministries/departments i.e. trade data from FBR, etc.
Technical committees comprising experts review methodology and sample frame of each survey before initiating a survey/census. After the report has been compiled, the experts committee again reviews and approves the report. A full-time Principal Statistical Advisor from Germany Bernd Struck is assigned for the last more than two years to provide technical guidance and supervision. Short-term experts from Germany and other international agencies also provide specific services. In addition, survey reports are sent to international experts for review/validation and they have found these reports generally in accordance with the international standards.
Checks are also enforced on data compiled from secondary sources. Creation of an autonomous Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) initiated by the outgoing government of Shaukat Aziz is in the final stages of implementation. An ordinance is to be promulgated which will bring the new authority into establishment.
The Planning Commission says: “It is absolutely incorrect to say that the present government has any doubt on the reliability or accuracy of data released by the outgoing government. The caretaker government has no reason to doubt the data released by the national statistical offices and is committed to strengthen them further. The initiatives started by the previous government are being continued with same speed and vigour.”