NEW DELHI: Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday emphasised that India’s statistical architecture must evolve in line with the country’s growing national aspirations.
Delivering the keynote address at the Conference of State Planning, Finance and IT Secretaries, organised by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Dr Mishra said, “Our Statistical Architecture Must Be as Modern and Ambitious as our national aspirations. The quality of our data influences the quality of our decisions and development outcomes”.
Emphasising the importance of credible statistics, data harmonisation and technology-enabled governance, Dr Mishra said a robust statistical system is essential for evidence-based policymaking and for achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.
He noted that statistics, data, technology, planning and governance are increasingly interconnected elements of India’s development journey.
“A robust statistical system must enable governments to measure development progress across States and districts, assess policy outcomes, identify gaps and ensure that public resources deliver the intended results”, he said.
He further remarked, “What cannot be measured cannot be managed effectively. And what cannot be managed effectively cannot be transformed sustainably”.
Highlighting the need to modernise economic measurement, Dr Mishra said India’s statistical systems must evolve alongside an economy that is becoming increasingly digital, formalised and interconnected.
He noted that the introduction of the new National Accounts Series, with 2022-23 as the base year, alongside updated Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Index of Industrial Production (IIP) series, marks an important step towards ensuring that statistical methodologies remain aligned with changing economic realities.
Underscoring the importance of State Statistical Systems, Dr Mishra said India’s development story is fundamentally a story of its States, where policies are implemented, economic activity takes place and citizens experience development outcomes.
He called for stronger institutional capacity and closer coordination between the Centre and the States to improve the quality of official statistics. Dr Mishra also highlighted the significant opportunities offered by artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial systems, satellite imagery and advanced analytics to enhance the timeliness, accuracy and usefulness of official statistics.
However, he cautioned that technological advancement must be guided by statistical quality, transparency, privacy, security and accountability. “Speed cannot come at the cost of accuracy. Greater use of data cannot come at the cost of confidentiality,” he said.
Describing statistics as an important instrument of cooperative federalism, Dr Mishra said a strong statistical framework enables the Centre and the States to compare outcomes, identify best practices and learn from regional differences.
He stressed that as India progresses towards 2047, national averages alone would not be sufficient. Granular data at the State, district and local levels would become increasingly important for identifying development gaps and guiding targeted interventions.
Furthermore, he called for a collective national effort involving MoSPI, State Statistical Offices, Finance, Planning and IT Departments, NITI Aayog, academic institutions and other stakeholders to strengthen the country’s statistical ecosystem. Dr Mishra said India needs a statistical architecture that is trusted, transparent, technology-enabled, interoperable and policy-relevant. Such a system, he added, would not merely measure India’s transformation but also help guide and accelerate it towards the goal of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.