Washington: India is turning to artificial intelligence, expanded labour surveys, and tax data integration to modernise one of the world’s largest statistical systems, its chief statistician said, as demand grows for faster, more granular economic data.
Saurabh Garg, secretary of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, in a recent interview podcast with the IMF, said the country continues to rely on door-to-door surveys but has shifted to tablet-based data collection and is embedding new digital tools to reduce delays and improve accuracy.
“We still go door-to-door, to households and businesses, but data collection is tablet-based,” Garg told the IMF. “On the tablet itself, we are working on adding AI chatbots; if the person conducting the survey has a question, the chatbot responds immediately.”
All field data is uploaded directly to the e-SIGMA portal, streamlining processing and validation. The ministry has also revamped its website, launched a mobile app, and expanded infographics and direct download options. Training videos now guide researchers and policymakers on how to access unit-level data.
As more private and high-frequency indicators emerge, Garg acknowledged the growing ecosystem of alternative data. “Alternative data and high-frequency indicators are increasingly available and provide supplementary insights into the socioeconomic situation from a different perspective,” he said.
India is exploring how “e-commerce, scanner, mobile, satellite, and other alternative data can be incorporated into official statistics.” Still, Garg stressed that official numbers “remain as relevant as ever” because they are “underpinned by rigorous scientific methods and standards that make them internationally comparable.”
To harmonise datasets across ministries, the government has created a registry of government data sets and developed a national metadata structure. It has aligned classifications with international standards and standardised unique identifiers for organisations and geographic locations. “Each agency must use its own identifier; this ensures that two data sets can be read by each other,” he said. A reconciliation method has also been introduced to address discrepancies between administrative datasets.
India is also preparing to incorporate revisions under the System of National Accounts 2025 as it rebases GDP. “We’re incorporating the changes required by SNA 2025 into our rebased methodology and new guidelines,” Garg said, adding that updated guidelines are expected over the next couple of years.
He described India’s production-side data as “extremely robust” and said that the availability of goods and services tax data will sharpen expenditure estimates. “A robust production-side data set will be accompanied by an equally robust consumption-side data set,” he said, adding that this “will ensure the overall accounts are more accurate.”
On employment, Garg said that since January 2025, the ministry has issued a monthly labour force report covering both urban and rural sectors. “We have nearly doubled the sample size. This has increased data granularity,” he said. New questions on employment status, education, training, and skill levels have also been added.
(IANS)
