Key macroeconomic indicators, including GDP, the Consumer Price Index and the Index of Industrial Production, are being updated with new base years to better reflect India’s evolving economy: Dr. P.K. Mishra
New Delhi 29th June: Dr. P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, today, attended the 20th Statistics Day celebrations as the Chief Guest. Addressing the 20th Statistics Day celebrations Dr. P.K. Mishra paid tribute to Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis on his birth anniversary, recalling his seminal contribution to building India’s statistical system and underscoring the enduring importance of robust statistics for informed governance. Congratulating the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on the release of its Vision Document 2026–31, the Progress Report on the Sustainable Development Goals, and the first city-level estimates of labour markets and informal enterprises, he also felicitated Professor Arup Bose on receiving the Sukhatme National Award.
Highlighting Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of data-driven governance and Viksit Bharat @2047, Dr. Mishra said, “This year’s Statistics Day theme, ‘Unlocking the Potential of Administrative Data’ reflects a transformative step towards strengthening India’s statistical ecosystem and evidence-based policymaking” is very relevant and timely.
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Recalling India’s pioneering role in the field of statistics, Dr. P.K. Mishra said the country built one of the world’s finest survey-based statistical systems in the 1950s, with the National Sample Survey emerging as a globally acclaimed model that shaped research and policymaking across the developing world. “The visionary contributions of Professor P.C. Mahalanobis, who founded the Indian Statistical Institute and the journal Sankhya laid the foundation for modern statistical science in India and his ideas informed the Second Five-Year Plan”, he highlighted. Reflecting on his own academic experience, Dr. Mishra noted that Indian statistical data and methodologies have long been valued by leading international researchers and paid tribute to the enduring contributions of eminent statisticians such as Professor C.R. Rao and Professor P.V. Sukhatme, whose pioneering work continues to influence the discipline globally.
Speaking on the modernisation of India’s statistical system, Dr. P.K. Mishra acknowledged that after decades of excellence, the system had faced challenges relating to outdated datasets, delays in data dissemination, fragmented statistical architecture, uneven data quality and declining professional capacity. “These concerns prompted a comprehensive reform exercise led by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) through extensive consultations with experts, key institutions and stakeholders. Based on these deliberations, MoSPI accepted 216 recommendations for time-bound implementation under an institutional oversight mechanism”, he added. Dr. Mishra highlighted that the reforms have already led to the introduction of new and user demand-based surveys, updating of macroeconomic indicators, improved data dissemination, and significant procedural and process-oriented reforms, laying the foundation for a more robust, credible and future-ready statistical system.
Commending the leadership of MoSPI for steering the reform process during the five years from 2020 to 2025, Dr. Mishra described how from the year 2020 several steps were taken, by Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and MoSPI, to analyse issues, identify the measures and address the challenges. Dr. Mishra said the Prime Minister’s Office acted as a catalyst and facilitator, enabling the Ministry to leverage its institutional expertise and capabilities to build a stronger, more credible and future-ready statistical system.
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Emphasising this year’s Statistics Day theme, “Unlocking the Potential of Administrative Data,” Dr. P.K. Mishra said India’s rapid digital transformation has created vast repositories of administrative data that can significantly strengthen evidence-based policymaking and governance. “Administrative data should be treated as a strategic national asset, enabling better programme design, targeted service delivery and timely decision-making”, he stressed. Calling for greater coordination among Central Ministries, Departments, States and Union Territories, he advocated the creation of interoperable and integrated data ecosystems that facilitate secure data sharing while maintaining the highest standards of privacy, security and confidentiality. Dr. Mishra further noted that trusted and interoperable datasets would provide the foundation for the responsible adoption of Artificial Intelligence in governance, underscoring the need to simultaneously build human capacity, data literacy and analytical capabilities across institutions.
Highlighting the ongoing transformation of India’s statistical system, Dr. P.K. Mishra said, “The adoption of administrative data represents an expansion of the country’s longstanding commitment to inclusive, evidence-based governance”.
He noted that the Ministry has modernised survey methodologies through Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), revised sampling designs to generate district-level estimates, introduced high-frequency surveys, and reduced the time taken to release official statistics. “Key macroeconomic indicators, including GDP, the Consumer Price Index and the Index of Industrial Production, are being updated with new base years to better reflect India’s evolving economy”, he noted. “The development of a robust administrative data ecosystem through initiatives such as the National Metadata Structure 2.0, machine-readable data standards, Open APIs, and digital platforms including e-Sankhyiki, GoIStats, PAIMANA and e-SAKSHI, which are enhancing data accessibility, interoperability and real-time governance”, he underscored.
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Dr. P.K. Mishra described the ongoing transformation of India’s statistical system as a success story driven by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and the collective efforts of expert institutions. “The reforms were achieved without constituting new committees or engaging external consultants, with a small team of young officers playing a pivotal role in consolidating and translating diverse recommendations into actionable reforms”, he noted.
Outlining the way forward, Dr. P.K. Mishra said that as envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the future of governance lies in data-driven decision-making. He emphasised that as India moves towards AI-ready datasets, the statistical system must uphold the principles of trust, independence and rigour. “Administrative data can become a powerful national asset only when backed by robust standards of quality, privacy and transparency, the need to preserve the credibility and independence of official statistics while embracing new data sources”, he underscored.
Dr. Mishra further noted that while Artificial Intelligence offers transformative opportunities for statistical analysis and policymaking, its adoption must be guided by strong governance frameworks to address issues of bias, accountability and explainability, ensuring that technological innovation strengthens rather than compromises the integrity of official statistics.
Concluding his address, Dr. P.K. Mishra said that the true potential of administrative data will be realised not through technology alone, but through robust institutional frameworks that ensure high standards of quality, privacy, transparency and independence. Reiterating Professor P.C. Mahalanobis’ vision of governance based on facts and evidence, he said that the journey towards Viksit Bharat must be anchored in reliable data that ensures every citizen is counted and no one is left behind. Quoting Professor C.R. Rao’s observation that “all judgements are, in their rationale, statistics,” Dr. Mishra underscored that the quality of national decision-making depends on the quality and credibility of official statistics. He thanked the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation for the opportunity to address the gathering, congratulated Professor Arup Bose on receiving the Sukhatme National Award, and extended his best wishes to the statistical community for its continued contribution to nation-building.
