SRINAGAR: Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) Secretary Dr. Saurabh Garg on Tuesday chaired a UT-level workshop on “Administrative Data Harmonisation” at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.
The one-day workshop, organised by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), Jammu and Kashmir, under the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, focused on improving the quality, consistency, interoperability and use of administrative data across government departments.
Addressing the workshop, Dr. Garg highlighted the role of administrative data in the national statistical system and stressed the need for harmonisation of concepts, definitions, classifications, metadata and standards to improve comparability, interoperability and statistical quality. He also encouraged the use of institutional mechanisms such as Data Strategic Units and Chief Data Officers.
Commissioner Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, R. Alice Vaz outlined the objectives of the workshop and emphasised the importance of reliable, standardised and timely data for policy formulation, resource allocation and governance. She called for stronger coordination among departments and improvements in data systems at the source.
Director General, Economics and Statistics, J&K, Ashu Gupta said the harmonisation exercise was aimed at establishing common standards, definitions, classifications and metadata across departments while retaining departmental ownership and accountability.
Technical sessions featured experts from MoSPI, the governments of Delhi and Karnataka, Delhi Technological University, the Population Council and other institutions. Discussions covered the national initiative on Data Harmonisation and Support for Statistical Strengthening, data and artificial intelligence initiatives, administrative data for population and development evidence, Karnataka’s Kutumba Digital Family Registry, and governance frameworks for administrative data harmonisation.
Participants also discussed administrative datasets that could be made AI-ready to support analytics, innovation and evidence-based governance. The workshop was attended by Administrative Secretaries, senior MoSPI officials, Chief Data Officers, members of Data Strategic Units, Chief Planning Officers, District Statistics and Evaluation Officers and other officials from across Jammu and Kashmir.
