The project has been cleared for a total budget of Rs.650.43 crore, out of which, 80% would be funded through a World Bank loan, and the remaining 20% would be borne by the Government of India. The States/UTs would need to provide if, when and wherever required the necessary land and / or buildings, manpower and also meet all the associated recurring expenditure for implementation of the Project.

The project is designated to help build the capacities at the States/UTs level with the following objectives;

• To collect, compile and disseminate relevant and reliable official statistics.

• To serve the twin objectives of planning and policy making at the state and local levels and

• To provide the data that would be required at the national level.

Besides, it will also help develop structures to assist the line departments and other data agencies to improve the quality and coverage of the data they collect and to promote their usage at the State/District and Block levels.

The project has designed to support appropriate State/UT-specific interventions in the following areas:

a) Improving the Coordination and Management of Statistical Activities in the States/UTs;

b) Human Resource Development;

c) Developing Statistical Infrastructure;

d) Investing in physical Infrastructure, including Information Technology, and

e) Improving Statistical Operations, especially those supporting the cause of improvement in the quality and dissemination of statistical data.

All the States/UTs are eligible to participate in the project. However, in view of the existing wide disparities and heterogeneities across the States/UTs in terms of their state statistical systems, the States/UTs have been allowed to participate in the project as and when they take a decision to do so. So far, 22 States/UTs have communicated their decision to the Government of India for participating in the project.

The following are among they key/critically important yields which are expected to accrue to the National Statistical System, in general and the State Statistical Systems, in particular by virtue of implementation of this project.

• Compilation of District Level Estimates of the Statistical Indicators which is not being done at present.

• The states would meet the national standards on key statistical activities

• The statistical manpower of the State Statistical Systems will become much better endowed/equipped.

• Dissemination of national and state level data on key statistical activities in a credible, timely and reliable manner.

• Information on improvement of the statistical systems in all the participating states will be published on the ISSP web pages. Each State will have a dedicated web-site for dissemination of State data & it will have a national network for linkages with the national web-site. This will improve the accessibility to data and interface with users.

• Additional un-met demands of Statistics at State/National level will be taken up.

• Better accessibility to data and interface with the users.