**Executive Summary**
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) organized a National Deliberative Summit in Bhubaneswar on April 29–30, 2026, to build consensus on harmonizing administrative data for governance. The event brought together approximately 300 stakeholders to establish action plans for adopting common standards and interoperable systems. Key outcomes included the release of the "Women and Men in India 2025" report and a roadmap for a phased, standards-driven approach to data-driven policymaking.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Strategic Objectives and Governance**
* **Data as an Economic Asset:** Recognition of data as an economic asset under the System of National Accounts 2025 to enhance socio-economic outcomes.
* **Breaking Silos:** Promotion of open, standardized, and interoperable data across various sectors to replace isolated data systems.
* **Balance of Access:** Ensuring data usage maintains a balance between transparency/openness and necessary confidentiality.
* **Policy Alignment:** Integrating data strategies with national goals such as Viksit Bharat @2047 and the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.
**Technical Standards and Frameworks**
* **NMDS 2.0 Compliance:** Implementation of the National Metadata Structure (NMDS) 2.0 to convert records into machine-readable formats.
* **Infrastructure Requirements:** Adoption of API-based data sharing, common identifiers, federated architectures, and metadata standards.
* **AI Readiness:** Focus on revamping existing procedures to make data "AI-ready" through structured data modelling, knowledge graphs, and microdata analytics.
* **Data Quality:** Emphasis on continuous quality assurance, timely availability, and actionable insights at the field level.
**State-Level Innovations**
* **Integrated Ecosystems:** Kerala showcased multi-department digital ecosystems, while Maharashtra presented a unified State Business Register.
* **Data Policies:** Assam introduced its Data Policy 2026 with Aadhaar integration, and Odisha rolled out Data Policy 2.0 aligned with the DPDP Act.
* **Technological Tools:** Bihar highlighted an AI-powered Data Lab Portal, and Tamil Nadu focused on data linkage initiatives for improved governance.
**Impact Analysis**
**State and UT Governments**
**Impact**
States are required to transition from fragmented data silos to integrated ecosystems that support efficient, citizen-centric service delivery.
**Action Required**
Adopt a phased, context-specific approach to data harmonization; recruit specialized statistical personnel; and align local data portals with NMDS 2.0 standards.
**Central Ministries and Departments**
**Impact**
Departments must participate in a multi-source ecosystem to enable structured data sharing for better national policymaking.
**Action Required**
Implement common identifiers and adhere to standardized interoperability guidelines to facilitate seamless data exchange across sectors.
**Capacity Building Commission (CBC) and Technical Experts**
**Impact**
There is a critical need to address both technological infrastructure and organizational adoption to leverage emerging technologies like AI.
**Action Required**
Focus on rethinking existing procedures that act as barriers to data accessibility and strengthen training frameworks for stakeholders.
**Governance and Policy Stakeholders**
**Impact**
Decision-making is shifting toward a data-driven model, particularly in sectors like agriculture and energy.
**Action Required**
Ensure sustained political commitment and institutional ownership to manage data harmonization as an iterative, long-term process.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI): The primary central ministry that organized the summit to lead the harmonization of administrative data and standards across Indian states and departments.
National Deliberative Summit on “Harmonizing Administrative Data for Governance”: A key initiative aimed at building consensus on action plans and timelines for adopting common data standards and interoperable systems for better policymaking.
Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023: A primary legal framework referenced as the basis for aligning state-level data policies and ensuring a balance between data openness and confidentiality.
National Metadata Structure (NMDS) 2.0: A technical framework and standard used for converting administrative records into machine-readable, compliant formats for cross-sector data sharing.
Bhubaneswar, Odisha: The central location for the summit where the host state showcased its Data Policy 2.0 and statistical system reforms aligned with national goals.
Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation
MoSPI conducted National Deliberative Summit
on “Harmonizing Administrative Data for
Governance” during 29-30 April, 2026 in
Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Dy Chief Minister Odisha: Data must be used responsibly
with a balance between openness and necessary
confidentiality
Chief Secretary Odisha: Standards-driven interoperable
approach, supported by federated architectures is key for
unlocking value of data
Chairman CBC: It is essential to strengthen governance and
service delivery through technology and organizational
adoption.
Secretary MoSPI: Need to break silos and promote open,
standardised, and interoperable data across sectors
Posted On: 30 APR 2026 3:41PM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) organized one-and-a-half-day
National Deliberative Summit on "Harmonizing Administrative Data for Governance" with States/UTs
and other stakeholders on 29-30th April 2026 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The Summit aimed to build
consensus on action plans and timelines for harmonizing administrative data and it has brought together
around 300 stakeholders from over 31 State/UT Governments, Central Ministries/ Departments,
Researchers and Technical experts from International Organizations/Academic Institutions/Private
Organizations etc. to adopt common standards and to enable interoperable systems for better policymaking
and governance.
The National Deliberative summit was inaugurated by Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Government of
Odisha, Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and distinguished dignitaries including Smt. S. Radha Chauhan,
Chairperson, Capacity Building Commission; Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI; Shri. Deoranjan
Kumar Singh, Development Commissioner-cum-ACS, Government of Odisha graced the occasion.At the outset, P. R. Meshram, Director General (Data Governance), MoSPI extended a warm welcome to
the distinguished dignitaries and emphasised that MoSPI remains fully committed to supporting States in
their journey towards harmonized data systems for effective decision-making.
Setting the context of the meeting, Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI emphasised the Hon’ble Prime
Minister’s vision of adopting a positive and open attitude towards data. He asserted the need to break silos
and promote open, standardised, and interoperable data across sectors. He highlighted structured data-
sharing to enhance governance and socio-economic outcomes. He also noted that under the System of
National Accounts 2025, data is now recognised as an economic asset.
In the inaugural address, Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Government of
Odisha emphasised that data is the need of the hour, highlighting its importance for achieving the vision of
Hon’ble Prime Minister, Viksit Bharat @2047 and Odisha’s 2036 goals, particularly in the field of
agriculture and energy through data-driven policymaking, while also noting that data must be used
responsibly with a balance between openness and necessary confidentiality.
Ms Radha Chauhan, Chairperson, Capacity Building Commission highlighted that, to fully leverage the
potential of Artificial Intelligence, it is essential to strengthen both governance and service delivery
through a balanced focus on two key pillars namely, technology and organizational adoption. This requires
rethinking and revamping existing procedures that often act as barriers to making data AI-ready. Deo
Ranjan Kumar Singh, Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Government
of Odisha, highlighted the importance of timely availability of data and the need for actionable insights
supported by analytics, noting that the lack of accessible data at the field level poses challenges for
effective decision-making.On the occasion of the inaugural session of the summit, a video on "Data Dividend" was showcased the
essence of the Theme of the Conference and MoSPI released its publication namely “Women and Men in
India 2025: Selected Indicators and Data”, offering a comprehensive overview of the gender landscape
in India, presenting selected indicators and data across key areas like population, education, health,
economic participation, and decision-making, all sourced from various Ministries / Departments
/Organizations.
Day 1 (29th April, 2026) was dedicated for deliberations on the theme of the summit covering in four
sessions including a panel discussion. Session started with presentations of States showcasing the
initiatives taken in harmonizing administrative data through integrated platforms, common identifiers,
and interoperable, API-based systems. Kerala showcased an integrated multi-department digital
ecosystem; Maharashtra a unified State Business Register; Assam its Data Policy 2026 with Aadhaar-
enabled integration; Bihar an AI-powered Data Lab Portal, and Delhi a data unlock model converting
records into National Metadata Structure (NMDS) 2.0-compliant machine-readable formats.
Discussions also focused on a roadmap to harmonize administrative data through a multi-source
ecosystem, tackling issues like data silos, interoperability gaps, and data quality. The plan emphasises
initiatives like NMDS 2.0, standardisation, common identifiers, metadata, and API-based data sharing to
enable efficient, integrated systems. A panel discussion on Data harmonization guidelines and ecosystem
development was also held which emphasised on the need for a robust ecosystem built on strong
governance frameworks, scalable platforms, capacity building, and continuous data quality assurance for
data harmonization and effective data-driven governance.
Discussions were also focused on leveraging data reuse for governance, covering frameworks,
interoperability platforms, and real-world experiences like Tamil Nadu’s data linkage initiatives and
insights on the DPDP Act, 2023, technology solutions for data harmonization.
On Day 2 (30 April 2026), the workshop focused on strengthening the foundations of data structure,
covering metadata standards, data modelling, knowledge graphs, data quality, and cataloguing to enable
structured and reusable datasets. Building on this, the impact session highlighted AI-enabled data access
and microdata analytics. As a way forward, the high level panel discussion was held wherein the panel
noted that data harmonization is an iterative and long-term process requiring sustained political
commitment, institutional ownership, and coordinated action. By adopting a phased, flexible, and context-
specific approach, while leveraging existing digital public infrastructure strengths, states can progressively
build integrated data ecosystems that enhance governance efficiency, transparency, and citizen-centric
service delivery.The concluding session of the summit was graced by Smt. Anu Garg, Chief Secretary, Government of
Odisha. She highlighted the Government of Odisha’s efforts to strengthen its statistical system, including
the recruitment of over 600 statistical personnel, the rollout of Data Policy 2.0 aligned with the Digital
Personal Data Protection Act, a data dissemination policy, and a dynamic statistical web portal, etc. She
affirmed the state’s commitment to improving data quality, harmonization, accessibility, and ensuring that
data receives the importance it rightfully deserves. Going forward, a phased, standards-driven and
interoperable approach, supported by federated architectures, user-centric platforms, and emerging
technologies like AI, will be key to unlocking the full value of data for policymaking and service delivery.
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Samrat/Pranab
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