New Delhi: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has questioned the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on the delay in releasing data collected during the economic census. In a report tabled in parliament on Thursday (July 27), the committee has said that only 13 states and UTs have communicated their approval for provisional results so far, The Indian Express reported.The seventh economic census was launched in 2019 and completed in March 2021.The statistics ministry’s response on the seventh economic census “falls short in providing a proactive approach” to address the delays, the parliamentary committee has said.“Moreover, the response highlights that as of April 30, 2023 only 13 states/UTs have communicated their approval on the 7th Economic Census provisional results indicating lack of progress in obtaining approvals from the State Level Coordination Committees. The response of the government also does not provide clear information on how it plans to implement these recommendations,” the report continues.The ministry must “accelerate data collection, foster close collaboration with states and ensure timely approval of the provisional results by the state-level coordination committees”, according to the committee.