Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. P. K. Mishra delivered the keynote address at the Conference of State Planning, Finance and IT Secretaries organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in New Delhi on October 13, 2026. He emphasized that a strong statistical system is essential for evidence-based policymaking and achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047, stating that statistics are not merely an administrative requirement but a strategic national asset that influences the quality of decisions and development outcomes.
Dr. Mishra highlighted the interconnection between statistics, data, technology, planning and governance in India's development journey, noting that a robust statistical system must enable governments to measure development progress across States and districts, assess policy outcomes, identify gaps and ensure that public resources deliver intended results. He emphasized that "what cannot be measured cannot be managed effectively" and consequently cannot be transformed sustainably.
The address specifically noted the modernization of economic measurement through the introduction of the new National Accounts Series with 2022-23 as the base year, alongside updated Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Index of Industrial Production (IIP) series, representing important steps towards keeping statistical methodologies aligned with changing economic realities. Dr. Mishra underscored the fundamental importance of State Statistical Systems, describing India's development story as fundamentally a story of its States where policies are implemented and economic activity occurs.
Regarding technological advancement, Dr. Mishra stated that artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial systems, satellite imagery and advanced analytics offer significant opportunities to improve the timeliness, accuracy and usefulness of official statistics. However, he cautioned that technological advancement must remain guided by statistical quality, transparency, privacy, security and accountability, noting that "speed cannot come at the cost of accuracy" and "greater use of data cannot come at the cost of confidentiality."
Dr. Mishra described statistics as an important instrument of cooperative federalism, enabling States and the Centre to compare outcomes, identify best practices and learn from regional differences. He emphasized that as India progresses towards 2047, national averages alone would not suffice, requiring granular data at State, district and local levels to identify development gaps and guide interventions. The conference concluded with a call for collective national effort involving MoSPI, State Statistical Offices, Finance, Planning and IT Departments, NITI Aayog, academic institutions and other stakeholders to build a statistical architecture that is trusted, transparent, technology-enabled, interoperable and policy-relevant.