law: The Collection of Statistics Act, 2008
  2. Definitions. -
  In this Act, unless
  
  the context otherwise requires,-
  a.  
  
    "agency"
  
  includes a person or persons engaged by the appropriate Government, directly or
  
  by outsourcing, for collection of statistics;
  b.  
  
    "appropriate
  
  Government" means-
   
  
   i.  
  
    any
  
  Ministry or Department in the Central Government; or
  any
  
  Ministry or Department in a State Government or Union territory Administration;
  
  or
   
  
   iii.  
  
    any
  
  local government that is to say, Panchayats or Municipalities, as the case may
  
  be, in relation to the collection of statistics under a direction issued by it
  
  under section 3;
  a.  
  
  
  b.  
  
  
  c.  
  
    "informant"
  
  means any person, who supplies or is required to supply statistical information
  
  and includes a owner or occupier or person in-charge or his authorised
  
  representative in respect of persons or a firm registered under the Indian
  
  Partnership Act, 1932 or a co-operative society registered under any
  
  Co-operative Societies Act or a company registered under the Companies Act,
  
  1956 or a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 or any
  
  association recognised or registered under any law for the time being in force;
  
  
  d.  
  
  
  
    "information
  
  schedule" means any book, document, form, card, tape, disc or any storage
  
  media on which information required is entered or recorded or is required to be
  
  entered or recorded for statistical purposes under this Act;
  e.  
  
    "prescribed"
  
  means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
  f.  
  
    "sampling"
  
  means a statistical procedure by which information relating to a particular
  
  field of inquiry is derived by applying statistical techniques to information
  
  obtained in respect of a proportion of the total number of persons or units
  
  concerned relevant to the field of inquiry;
  g.  
  
    "statistical
  
  survey" means a census or a survey, whereby information is collected from
  
  all the informants in the field of inquiry or from a sample thereof, by an
  
  appropriate Government under this Act or any other relevant Act, wholly or
  
  primarily for the purposes of processing and summarising by appropriate
  
  statistical procedures;
  h.  
  
    "statistics"
  
  means statistics derived by collecting, classifying and using statistics,
  
  specially in or for large quantities or numbers by appropriate Government from
  
  statistical surveys, administrative and registration records, and other forms
  
  and papers, the statistical analysis of which are, whether in a published or
  
  unpublished form;
  i.  
  
  
  
    "statistics
  
  officer" means any officer appointed under section 4 for the purposes of
  
  any direction issued under section 3 of this Act.