Politics · India · 2 hrs ago
India approves data overhaul, minerals funding and more fast-track courts
India’s Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved three major policy initiatives at a meeting in New Delhi.
The largest is VISTAR, a ₹4,371 crore plan to modernise official statistics from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
It will use AI and machine learning and fund 59 surveys, up from 43 in the previous cycle.
The plan also includes an Economic Census of non-farm businesses and workers, which will help build a national business register and provide more detailed local data.
A separate ₹2,814 crore scheme will support processing 24 critical minerals from mined and recycled sources for industries such as batteries, electronics and defence.
The Cabinet also approved 850 fast-track courts, up from 779, to handle child abuse and rape cases.
The statistics scheme is set to run through 2030-31, while the minerals scheme will run from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
The Union Cabinet approved a five-year, ₹4,371.10-crore scheme to overhaul India’s official statistical system.
The VISTAR scheme plans 59 surveys during FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31, up from 43 major surveys in the previous cycle.
The Cabinet also approved ₹2,814 crore to support critical mineral processing in India.
It approved increasing the number of fast-track courts handling child abuse and rape cases from 779 to 850.
The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the decisions were announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
- Who
- The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the initiatives.
- What
- It approved a statistical-system overhaul, funding for critical mineral processing and an increase in fast-track courts.
- When
- Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
- Where
- New Delhi.
- Why
- VISTAR aims to improve official data collection, statistical quality and access to data for policymaking. The minerals scheme aims to prepare minerals for manufacturing, while the courts are intended to address child abuse and rape cases.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- VISTAR funding
- ₹4,371.10 crore
- VISTAR survey plan
- 59 surveys over FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31, compared with 43 major surveys previously
- Critical minerals scheme
- ₹2,814 crore; covers 24 defined critical minerals
- Fast-track courts
- 850 planned, up from 779
- 8th Economic Census
- Will count non-farm establishments and their workers down to gram panchayat and ward levels
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What people are saying
We must move beyond the long-standing attitude of merely continuing as before: conduct thorough investigation, thorough analysis, and examine matters carefully. Decisions should then be made on that basis.
[The scheme] will essentially revamp the country's entire statistical system and give it new strength.
With attention to data collection, surveys, bias reduction, data validation, and ground truthing, statistics will gain new prestige.
Aligned with the central objective of Viksit Bharat 2047, the VISTAR Scheme is designed to establish a dynamic, real-time and future-ready official statistical architecture for enhanced timeliness, data granularity, interoperability with harmonised and AI ready datasets.