NEW DELHI : The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Institute of Data Engineering, Analytics and Science Foundation (IDEAS), Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, to strengthen India’s statistical and data-analysis capabilities.
The collaboration will focus on GDP nowcasting, data integration and advanced statistical research, with the aim of improving the use of multiple data sources for economic analysis and policy-making.
GDP Nowcasting Tool to Be Developed
Under the first MoU, MoSPI will provide financial assistance and data support, while IDEAS will develop a desktop-based software tool for GDP nowcasting.
GDP nowcasting involves estimating current economic activity using available high-frequency indicators before complete official data for a particular period becomes available.
The proposed tool is expected to support more timely analysis of economic trends and complement the official statistical information released by MoSPI.
Administrative and NSS Data to Be Integrated
The second MoU will focus on developing a harmonised indicator framework that brings together administrative data from government schemes related to health, nutrition and well-being with household-level data from the National Sample Survey (NSS).
The initiative is intended to improve the integration and analytical use of different datasets while enabling researchers and policymakers to gain deeper insights from India’s statistical system.
Focus on Data-Driven Decision-Making
The collaboration reflects the government’s broader emphasis on data-driven decision-making and strengthening India’s statistical infrastructure under the Viksit Bharat @ 2047 vision.
By combining administrative and survey-based datasets, the initiative could help improve the understanding of socio-economic trends and support evidence-based policymaking.
MoUs Signed by Officials
The MoUs were signed by Agnimitra Biswas, CEO, IDEAS, and Prasoon Verma, Director, Training Unit, Capacity Development Division, MoSPI.
Key Highlights
- Partners: MoSPI and IDEAS, ISI Kolkata
- MoUs: Two
- Key focus: GDP nowcasting and data integration
- GDP project: Development of a desktop-based nowcasting tool
- Data project: Integration of administrative and NSS household-level data
- Government support: Financial assistance and data support from MoSPI
- Broader objective: Strengthening India’s statistical and data-analysis capabilities
Bottom line: The two MoUs mark a step toward modernising India’s statistical ecosystem, with a particular focus on faster economic estimation, better data integration and stronger evidence-based policy analysis.
