Why administrative data matters for Viksit Bharat: P.K. Mishra explains at Statistics Day

British mathematician Clive Humby said "Data is the new oil." Like oil, data is valuable. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. P.K. Mishra on Monday said administrative data must be treated as a “strategic national asset” if India is to deepen evidence-based policymaking, improve governance, and move closer to its 2047 development goals.

Speaking as the chief guest at the 20th Statistics Day celebrations, he framed data-driven governance as central to the Viksit Bharat agenda and linked the quality of official statistics directly to program design, targeted delivery, and timely decisions.

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A tidy affair in the house of statistics

Mishra also congratulated the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation for releasing its Vision Document 2026–31, the Progress Report on the Sustainable Development Goals, and India’s first city-level estimates of labor markets and informal enterprises.

He felicitated Professor Arup Bose with the Sukhatme National Award at the event. In his remarks, he said this year’s theme, “Unlocking the Potential of Administrative Data,” reflects a “transformative step” towards strengthening the statistical ecosystem and evidence-based policymaking.

Old foundations, renewed ambition

Recalling India’s early statistical institutions, Mishra said the country built one of the world’s finest survey-based statistical systems in the 1950s, with the National Sample Survey later becoming a globally recognized model.

He paid tribute to statisticians, including P.C. Mahalanobis, C.R. Rao, and P.V. Sukhatme, for their contributions to statistical science. At the same time, he acknowledged the pressures that had accumulated over time in the system, including outdated datasets, delays in data dissemination, fragmented architecture, and uneven data quality.

Those concerns, he said, led to a comprehensive reform exercise by MoSPI, which accepted 216 recommendations for time-bound implementation.

Now comes the machinery of modern governance

According to Mishra, reforms introduced between 2020 and 2025 modernized the statistical ecosystem through new surveys, updated macroeconomic indicators, improved dissemination, and procedural changes.

He said the Prime Minister’s Office had acted as a catalyst in helping MoSPI strengthen the statistical framework. Mishra added that administrative data could only become a powerful national asset if supported by strong standards of quality, privacy, and transparency while also emphasizing the need for interoperable data ecosystems across ministries, states, and Union Territories.

He said MoSPI has already modernized surveys through computer-assisted personal interviewing, introduced district-level estimates and high-frequency surveys, and cut the time taken to release official statistics.

He also cited initiatives such as National Metadata Structure 2.0, Open APIs, e-Sankhyiki, GoIStats, PAIMANA, and e-SAKSHI as tools improving accessibility and interoperability. Looking ahead, he said artificial intelligence offers transformative opportunities, but its use must be governed by frameworks that preserve accountability, explainability, and the integrity of official statistics.

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FAQs

Q1: What did P.K. Mishra say about administrative data?

Ans: P.K. Mishra said administrative data should be treated as a strategic national asset to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and support the Viksit Bharat vision.

Q2: What reforms has the Ministry of Statistics introduced in recent years?

Ans: The ministry has introduced new surveys, faster data dissemination, updated indicators and digital platforms to modernise India's statistical system.