New Delhi, June 29 (IANS). Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P.K. Mishra said on Monday that there is a need to convert the administrative data scattered across different departments of India into a strategic national asset. He says that if there is better integration of government data, it will lead to a big improvement in good governance, policy making and quality of government services, and privacy and security can also be ensured.
Addressing the 20th celebrations of Statistics Day, Mishra said that due to rapid digital transformation in India, a huge amount of administrative data is being generated through government schemes, regulatory institutions and public services.
However, he said that this valuable data is still limited to individual ministries and departments, due to which its full benefits are not being achieved.
He said, “These data sets contain important information related to economic activities, social development, infrastructure creation, financial inclusion, health, education and welfare schemes. But despite their richness and comprehensiveness, most of the data is scattered across ministries, departments and various institutions, due to which it is not being fully utilized in policy making and good governance.”
P.K. Mishra further said that administrative data should no longer be treated as a mere by-product of departmental functioning. He said that this data should be developed as a strategic national resource, so that critical data gaps can be addressed, better policies can be made and the benefits of government schemes can be delivered to the right people more effectively.
Highlighting the benefits of integrated data system, he said that better utilization of administrative data can make the implementation of government schemes more effective and also improve the delivery of public services. However, he also clarified that the trust of citizens in the process of sharing data and connecting various systems should not be weakened at any cost.
“Administrative data needs to be developed as a strategic national asset rather than becoming a by-product of departmental processes,” he said.
He stressed that citizens’ privacy, data security and confidentiality should be given top priority while enhancing data sharing and coordination among government agencies. According to him, principles like ‘Privacy by Design’ and the existing legal and policy framework should be fully followed.
P.K. Mishra also linked trusted and interconnected data systems to India’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) ambitions. He said that reliable data will prove to be a strong foundation for responsible and effective use of AI in governance and public administration in the future.
–IANS
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