A parliamentary standing committee has recommended that the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) develop and operationalise an integrated digital dashboard consolidating key sectoral data from across ministries, departments, and government agencies. The committee stated that the platform should deliver authentic, verified, and periodically updated data in a user-friendly format accessible to all stakeholders.
The Standing Committee on Finance observed that government data currently resides in multiple formats and is updated at varying frequencies. While platforms such as data.gov.in provide access to official datasets, sectoral information remains fragmented across multiple portals and inconsistent formats, hindering integration and real-time usability.
“In many cases, the lack of standardised formats and seamless interoperability restricts the availability of consolidated, timely data across sectors,” the panel noted. “This fragmented approach makes it difficult to combine, compare, and analyse data meaningfully — constraining its potential to support evidence-based policymaking and coordinated governance.”
The committee further pointed out that the absence of a unified, accessible data framework undermines transparency and effective public access to information. “When data is scattered across multiple platforms and presented in varying formats, it becomes challenging for researchers, institutions, and citizens to access, interpret, and utilise it effectively,” it stated.
Among its other key recommendations, the panel urged MoSPI to establish a dedicated Economic Nowcasting and Data Analytics Unit. This unit would leverage high-frequency datasets such as the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) to enable early assessment of macroeconomic trends. The committee highlighted that several advanced statistical agencies and central banks already employ similar analytical models to generate near real-time economic insights and inform policy decisions.
The committee also called for greater use of administrative datasets and closer collaboration with state governments to produce reliable district-level statistical estimates. Such granular data would strengthen evidence-based policymaking and enable more localised economic analysis.
The panel advocated strengthening secure, timely access to anonymised microdata for bona fide research purposes. This would facilitate deeper policy analysis and foster greater academic collaboration. It cited examples from Statistics Canada and the UK’s Office for National Statistics, which operate structured, controlled-access systems for survey microdata while enforcing strict confidentiality safeguards.