The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation will organise a National Deliberative Summit on “Harmonizing Administrative Data for Governance” on April 29 and 30 in Bhubaneswar.
The one-and-a-half-day summit will bring together representatives from States and Union Territories, central ministries, and other stakeholders to build consensus on an action plan and timelines for harmonising administrative data to support policymaking and governance.
The summit is being held as a follow-up to the Fifth National Conference of Chief Secretaries held in December 2025. It aims to strengthen the use of administrative data for evidence-based decision-making and efficient service delivery.
According to the ministry, a National Consultative Workshop was held in New Delhi in February this year, following which States and Union Territories conducted internal consultations during March and April. These exercises focused on mapping existing data systems, identifying operational challenges, and assessing readiness for data harmonisation and interoperability.
The deliberations will centre on repurposing administrative datasets for policy decisions and governance. Officials said that interoperable data systems across departments are essential to ensure real-time insights and improve responsiveness in governance.
The ministry noted that several foundational elements for a harmonised data ecosystem are already in place, including data governance guidelines, metadata standards, classification systems, and quality assessment frameworks. These are expected to support the creation of a robust and secure data-sharing architecture.
The summit will also focus on developing a roadmap for sustained data harmonisation, automation of data processes, and integration of datasets across departments. The long-term objective is to enable unified, AI-ready data systems and enhance the availability of datasets on data exchange platforms.
Experts from government, international organisations, think tanks, and academia are expected to participate. Senior officials from States and Union Territories will present their preparedness and strategies for addressing challenges in data integration and interoperability.
