Granular data to help sustain key policy reforms: CEA Nageswaran

New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) The government’s conviction for policy reforms will be sustained by the pulse of granular data, Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Dr V. Anantha Nageswaran has stressed.

Commending the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation for its commitment to enhancing data granularity he emphasised about the insights on macroeconomic indicators based on recently released reports on the ASUSE and CAPEX investment surveys.

The ASUSE and the private sector CAPEX Investment Intention Survey together cover wide ground in providing a realistic picture of activity in India's private sector.

Importantly, he stressed the strategic value of granular data, stating that “One way to enhance the prospect for desirable policy change is to constantly keep shining the spotlight on social and economic trends as granularly as possible, from the nation to states to districts to blocks.”

Speaking at a ‘Data Users Conference’ at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, Nageswaran also acknowledged the ministry’s efforts to integrate diverse administrative datasets (GST, MCA21) and use of AI tools to produce district-specific insights.

Dr Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI, emphasised the ministry’s core vision of ‘Data for Development’.

He noted MoSPI’s role as the largest primary data collector in India and potentially the world, with survey sample sizes lies between one to five lakh units.

He also pointed out to several innovations including monthly release of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for both rural and urban areas the forward-looking CAPEX Investment Intentions Survey, providing insight into future private sector investment trends and Pilot on Annual Survey on Service Sector Enterprises (ASSSE).

A key focus is on strengthening data dissemination through a revamped MoSPI portal featuring improved access, APIs, visualisations, and user-friendly microdata tools.

The address also highlighted ongoing collaborations with research institutions, an active internship program, and efforts to enhance state-level statistical systems, particularly through more granular, district-level data on economic activity such as DDP and industrial performance indices.

Professor Madan M Pillutla, Dean of the Indian School of Business, highlighted about the significance of data collection and the regularity and reliability tradition that has been followed.

—IANS

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