Delhi, 25 March (H.S.): The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), alongside the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), held a workshop titled Emerging Trends in Public Data and Technology for Research and Policy at the IIMA campus. This event aimed to enhance the national data ecosystem and support evidence-based policymaking, featuring notable speakers like Dr. Saurabh Garg, MoSPI Secretary, and Prof. Bharat Bhaskar, IIMA Director.

Key discussions emphasized leveraging public data and emerging technologies to tackle policy challenges. Prof. Bhaskar pointed out the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in policy formulation while warning against biases from historical data. He stressed the need for fairness and accuracy, advocating collaboration for the public good. Dr. Garg elaborated on MoSPI's responsibilities, highlighting the potential of integrating vast administrative data with new datasets to meet user expectations. He noted the importance of modernizing legacy data to make it AI-ready, with IIMA's support being crucial.

A significant outcome was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MoSPI and IIMA, establishing a framework for collaborative data innovation to inform policy development. Prior to the workshop, a focused session with IIMA faculty explored leveraging institutional expertise for enhancing data-driven policies. The workshop reaffirmed the necessity of integrating public data with technology to inform policymaking, marking a vital step towards a robust statistical ecosystem in India, as MoSPI commits to innovation and inclusivity within the national statistical framework.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar