NEW DELHI :The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), hosted a workshop on “Emerging Trends in Public Data and Technology for Research and Policy” at the IIMA campus. This initiative is part of MoSPI’s ongoing efforts to enhance India’s national data ecosystem and promote evidence-based policymaking.
The workshop brought together key figures, including Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary of MoSPI and Head of the National Statistical Office (NSO); Prof. Bharat Bhaskar, Director of IIMA; and senior officials from MoSPI, along with faculty members and students. The discussions focused on the potential of leveraging public data and emerging technologies to address policy challenges.
Prof. Bharat Bhaskar emphasized the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping public policy but cautioned against biases inherent in historical data. “AI can significantly enhance decision-making, but safeguards must be in place to ensure fairness and accuracy,” he said.
Dr. Saurabh Garg highlighted the opportunity to integrate administrative data with alternative datasets to meet growing demands for data-driven insights. He emphasized that institutions like IIMA could play a crucial role in rejuvenating legacy data to make it AI-ready.
A key outcome of the workshop was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MoSPI and IIMA, formalizing their collaboration in data innovation. The partnership aims to ensure academic research contributes effectively to policy development, with a focus on creating a sustainable framework for collaboration between NSO India and IIMA.
This collaboration is seen as a major step toward enhancing India’s statistical system, fostering innovation, and strengthening data-driven policymaking.
