The 20th National Statistics Day was observed on Sunday with a focus on leveraging administrative data to strengthen governance, policymaking and public service delivery. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of noted statistician Prof. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
This year’s theme, “Unlocking the Potential of Administrative Data,” underscores the importance of government-generated data in enabling evidence-based decisions and efficient governance.
Principal Secretary (Economics and Statistics) Dr. Abhishek Jain inaugurated the department’s library and said well-organised and securely shared administrative data can improve planning, policy implementation and welfare delivery. He stressed the need for standardised, machine-readable datasets to enable seamless data sharing while reducing duplication.
Dr. Jain also underlined the importance of privacy safeguards, saying the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act provides a strong framework for responsible data governance.
Deputy Director General, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Dr. J.S. Tomar said harmonised administrative datasets would improve data reuse across government systems, while Economic Adviser Dr. Vinod Rana described administrative data as a strategic asset for inclusive growth, transparency and better governance.
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
