India has reached an inflection point where the next leap in governance would come from connecting administrative records that currently sit in isolated departmental silos into a fully harmonised, citizen-centric data ecosystem, Saurabh Garg, secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (Mospi), said on Monday.
"The next frontier is to transform this [statistical] foundation into a fully harmonised data ecosystem that powers intelligent, citizen-centric governance," Garg said at the 20th Statistics Day celebrations, adding that harmonisation would enable "more evidence-based and citizen-centric decision-making".
He noted that administrative data harmonisation would rest on five pillars: compilation of metadata, data quality assessments, adoption of uniform classifications and standards, use of unique identifiers, and the resolution of definitional divergences across datasets. "In today's AI and machine learning environment, these simple building blocks become powerful enablers for unlocking interoperability, improving data discovery, and enabling advanced analytics that transform raw administrative records into actionable intelligence," he added.
"The way forward for Mospi is not merely about creating more data but about creating value from the data that we generate," he said.
Reflecting on a national deliberative summit held in April this year to chart the roadmap for administrative data harmonisation with states and Union Territories, Garg said the exercise had been revealing in surfacing on-the-ground challenges. "The most encouraging takeaway was that thinking has begun, alignment has begun. Alignment of thought across states and Union Territories for data harmonisation is now taking shape, which is the crucial first step before systems, structures and solutions can fully be put in place," he said.
Echoing the theme of "Unlocking the Potential of Administrative Data", newly appointed National Statistical Commission (NSC) Chairperson Saibal Chattopadhyay said administrative data must increasingly complement, rather than replace, traditional surveys and censuses.
"As we move towards an integrated data ecosystem, administrative data must complement traditional surveys and censuses, while maintaining the highest standards of quality, privacy and confidentiality," Chattopadhyay said. He added that the demand for timely, granular, reliable and cost-effective statistics has never been greater, with policymakers needing near real-time information to respond to emerging challenges.
Chattopadhyay urged the statistical community to reaffirm its commitment to "building a modern, integrated and future-ready statistical system", and said reliable statistics were indispensable for India's ambition of becoming a data-driven economy and a global leader in digital public infrastructure.
 "Mospi pushes harmonised data ecosystem to power citizen-centric governance")
