Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, attended the 20th Statistics Day celebrations and paid tribute to Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis on his birth anniversary.
During an event, Dr Mishra recalled Professor Mahalanobis’ seminal contribution to building India’s statistical system and underscoring the enduring importance of robust statistics for informed governance, read a statement.
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He felicitated Professor Arup Bose on receiving the Sukhatme National Award and congratulated 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.
Highlighting Prime Minister 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.
Talking about the country’s pioneering role in the field of statistics, Dr Mishra said India 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 noted.
While reflecting on his own academic experience, Dr Mishra said 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 CR Rao and Professor PV Sukhatme, whose pioneering work continues to influence the discipline globally.
Talking about modernisation of India’s statistical system, Dr Mishra acknowledged that after decades of excellence, the system had faced challenges relating to outdated datasets, delays in data dissemination, fragmented statistical architecture, uneven data quality and declining professional capacity.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 stated that reforms have 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.
On 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. He 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.
Emphasising this year’s Statistics Day theme, “Unlocking the Potential of Administrative Data,” Dr 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 noted.
Also, he called 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, the statement added.
Dr Mishra noted that trusted and interoperable datasets would provide the foundation for the responsible adoption of AI in governance, underscoring the need to simultaneously build human capacity, data literacy and analytical capabilities across institutions.
Talking about the ongoing transformation of India’s statistical system, Dr 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 added.
Dr Mishra described the ongoing transformation of India’s statistical system as a success story driven by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation as well as 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 PK Mishra said that as envisioned by PM 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 said that while AI 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.
While concluding his address, he 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.