Data quality and harmonisation key to policy, AI-driven growth: PM's Principal Secretary P K Mishra

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) Conclave, Mishra stressed the need for reliable data to support governance, policy planning and national development.

Data collection is very important because, for our policy, we need evidence-based analysis. And now in this new era of artificial intelligence also data is very important. So collection, compilation, analysis of data will form the basis of all our development journey, Mishra told ANI.

He called for better coordination between the Centre and state governments to ensure uniform data collection methods, definitions and classifications across the country.

Mishra said state and district-level statistical systems play a crucial role in building national databases and estimating key economic indicators, including the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The main focus is that states and centres should discuss together. They should harmonise data collection. They should use common definition, common classification, he said, adding that the conclave would help strengthen coordination between different levels of government.

Delivering the keynote address at the conclave, Mishra said statistics, data, technology, planning and governance are closely linked and play an important role in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

He noted that technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and satellite imagery can improve the speed and detail of data collection and analysis. However, he cautioned that technology must not compromise the accuracy, quality or confidentiality of official statistics.

Technology has become an enabler of data analysis, but it is not a substitute for statistical quality, Mishra said.

Speed cannot come at the cost of accuracy. Greater use of data cannot come at the cost of confidentiality, and technological sophistication cannot substitute for sound statistical methodology, he added.

Mishra also described official statistics as an important tool for cooperative federalism, enabling the Centre and states to share best practices and assess economic performance using consistent methods.

Emphasising the need for efficient data sharing, he said information should be collected once and reused multiple times, subject to appropriate safeguards. This, he said, would help improve coordination while maintaining consistency and comparability across datasets.

Calling for greater collaboration among government departments, state statistical bureaus and research institutions, Mishra said India needs a statistical system that not only records past developments but also helps policymakers understand current conditions and anticipate future challenges.

Our aspiration should therefore be to build a statistical system that does more than report the past. It should help government understand the present and anticipate the emerging challenges. But above all we must preserve the trust placed in official statistics, he said. (ANI)