The National Sample Survey General Report No. 1 on The First Ground October 1950—March 1951

Rooted as it is in the mathematical theory of the errors of random sampling the idea of precision is from the first in the forefront. [...] The Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Poona under the direction of Professor D. R. Gadgil has been conducting economic and social surveys of various kinds for a long time and it was decided to seek the help of the Poona Institute in preparing the design of the National Sample Survey. [...] Although the Indian Statistical Institute could undertake with cofidence the preparation of the design of the survey and also the statistical work of scrutiny processing tabulation and analysis of the statistical data it was not possible for the Institute to organise the field survey on an alIndia scale. [...] The first batch of applicants was interviewed at a number of places in different parts of the country in the latter part of June 1950; but an adequate number of persons could not be recruited immediately owing to the low pay in relation to the difficult and temporary nature of the job. [...] Once the field work had started the field staff began to send questions for the clarification of the difficulties which were arising in the course of the actual work in the field.