According to the Health Ministry, there is no need to collect data frequently because disability data will not change quickly over 2-3 years.

The data on disabilities gathered by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) and the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) differ significantly from one another.

In contrast to NFHS-5, where the disability rates were only 1% for rural areas and 0.9% for urban areas, NSSO estimates for 2018 place the disability rates for rural areas at 2.3% and urban areas at 2%.

The Ministry asserts that the NFHS was unable to accurately reflect the scope of disability across the country. Hence, the technical advisory committee's recommendations led to the removal of questions regarding disabilities.