The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), in partnership with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), organized a workshop titled “Emerging Trends in Public Data and Technology for Research and Policy” at the IIMA campus. This initiative aligns with MoSPI’s efforts to strengthen the national data ecosystem and promote evidence-based policymaking.
The event featured prominent speakers, including Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI & Head of NSO; Prof. Bharat Bhaskar, Director, IIMA; Sh. P.R. Meshram, Director General, MoSPI; along with senior ministry officials, faculty members, students, and representatives from leading academic and research institutions. Discussions focused on utilizing public data, integrating emerging technologies, and fostering academic collaborations to address policy challenges effectively.
Prof. Bharat Bhaskar emphasized the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in policy development while cautioning against biases stemming from historical data trends. He stressed the need for safeguards to ensure fairness and accuracy, highlighting the importance of collaborative efforts to maximize benefits for the public good.
Dr. Saurabh Garg provided insights into MoSPI’s functions, including its surveys and macroeconomic indicators. He underscored the potential of integrating India’s vast administrative data with alternative datasets to meet evolving data user needs. He also emphasized the necessity of modernizing legacy datasets with advanced technologies to make them AI-compatible, noting that institutions like IIMA can play a key role in this process.
A significant outcome of the workshop was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MoSPI and IIMA, establishing a framework for collaboration in data innovation. Prior to the workshop, a focused session with IIMA faculty explored ways to leverage the expertise of both institutions to enhance data-driven policy support. Discussions emphasized the need for an institutional framework to sustain long-term collaboration and build human capital to advance these initiatives.
The workshop reaffirmed the importance of integrating public data with advanced technology to drive evidence-based policymaking. Through academic partnerships, MoSPI aims to leverage research insights and technological innovations to enhance India’s statistical ecosystem. This collaboration represents a major step toward fostering a strong, data-driven policy environment, reinforcing MoSPI’s dedication to innovation, excellence, and inclusivity in the national statistical framework.