MC EXCLUSIVE India Web 3.0 Summit: MoSPI doesn’t collect data through paper and pens, all data is stored in a cloud, says Statistics Secretary Saurabh Garg

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) need to move with times and incorporate the latest technology in the statistical system, Statistics Secretary Saurabh Garg told Moneycontrol on Thursday.

"MoSPI focus is on robustness and accuracy, and quality of data. Our statistical system is well equipped for that. We need to move with the times, and how to incorporate the latest technology in the system, that’s a great focus," Garg said, while speaking at the 'India Web 3.0 summit'.

He highlighted that MoSPI doesn’t do data collection through pen and paper, but through tablets. “The data collected is uploaded on cloud, where it's validated. If there are any areas where observations are out of sync with the data that it would normally be. It goes back to the enumerator, within 24-48 hours, so that validation can be done,” said Garg.

He mentioned that the ministry is further expanding languages for data collection, from Hindi and English, in use currently. “We have uploaded, for our enumerators, an AI based chat bot in the tablets, which helps them to classify the data that’s collected more effectively,” said the Secretary.

On using alternate data sources, Garg noted that MoSPI is using “geospatial data” to correctly identify the houses, which are necessary for data collection.

Moreover, we’re using e-commerce data for calculating the prices or GDP; and e-Vahan data and GST data to capture growth rates in much more granular manner, the Secretary said.