NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subhramanyam has said that India needs to move towards a paradigm where administrative decisions are based on data and have impact assessments. He said this while inaugurating the second round of the sensitisation-cum-review meeting of statistical advisers in Central Ministries and departments in New Delhi today. He also said that data is very crucial for every part of the government, and decisions should be driven by analytics fed by data. He emphasised the need for continuous upskilling and reskilling to keep up with new tools and methodologies in statistics.

Mr. Subhramanyam highlighted ongoing improvements in the country’s statistical system, including new technologies and compressed data processing times. He also mentioned the importance of business statistics and the need to improve data from the commercial and corporate affairs side.

Speaking of the challenges in data management, Mr. Subhramanyam discussed the consequences of working with administrative data and the need for better tools and systems. He also said that the government is taking steps to improve data management, including setting up a data lab and establishing new base years for indices and surveys.