Finance Minister T.M.Thomas Isaac has highlighted the need for a reliable database for local level planning to be successful in Kerala.
Addressing a workshop on State-level statistics for Kerala, organised by the Kerala State Planning Board here on Wednesday, he said the government could make use of the large volume of underutilized data by converting it to a usable form.
The Minister added that the State could and should generate new data based on requirements like human development at the panchayat level.
Speaking at a session on gender statistics, Madhura Swaminathan, Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, said Kerala required gender- related data in areas like the wage gap between men and women and women’s contribution in the homestead economy.
She also spoke about how data collection should also address the needs of women.
T. K. Anandi, gender advisor to the Government of Kerala, stressed the need to have data regarding land ownership of women and disaggregated data on transgenders in the State.
G. Raveendran, former Additional Director CSO and V. K. Ramachandran, Vice Chairperson, Kerala State Planning Board, were among those who spoke.
About 300 participants including statisticians, experts and government officials participated in the two-day workshop.