MoSPI Workshop on Data Harmonization for Governance
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) organized a Workshop of Statistical Advisers and Chief Data Officers of all Central Government Ministries, Departments and Organisations on September 08, 2026 at Rang Bhawan Auditorium, New Delhi. The workshop focused on the theme "Data Harmonisation for Use of Administrative Data in Data Driven Governance" with the objective of strengthening the National Data System, promoting effective use of administrative data, and fostering coordination for data-driven governance and evidence-based policymaking.
Principal Secretary-2 to the Prime Minister, Shri Shaktikanta Das, launched the Quarterly Progress Report (QPR) portal on Data Harmonisation (https://qpr.mospi.gov.in), which serves as a technology-enabled platform for all Central Ministries/Departments/Organisations to report progress in dataset identification, cataloguing, metadata preparation, use of national and international standards, implementation of common unique identifiers, and quality checks as per the Statistical Quality Assurance Framework (SQAF). The portal features automated validation, dashboards, cross-verification with the NMDS web portal, and provides analytical insights across government entities.
Key officials emphasized the critical importance of trusted, timely, and interoperable data for evidence-based policymaking. Shri Shaktikanta Das highlighted several MoSPI initiatives including NMDS 2.0, SQAF, statistical classifications, data lifecycle guidelines, e-Sankhyiki, Microdata Portal, and the QPR on Data Harmonisation as essential enablers of a stronger administrative data ecosystem. He urged all ministries to establish Data Governance Committees, publish data-sharing frameworks, maintain live dataset inventories, and leverage existing national data-sharing platforms such as API Setu, data.gov.in, NDAP, AI Kosh, DigiLocker, Entity Locker, e-Sankhyiki and microdata portal.
Secretary MeitY, Shri S. Krishnan, emphasized that high-quality data is fundamental to successful deployment of Artificial Intelligence for governance, noting the need for optimal utilization of government data given rapid digitization and increasing availability of administrative data. Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI, stressed the need to move from siloed departmental data systems toward an integrated, interoperable government-wide data ecosystem to support the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, emphasizing harmonization of concepts, definitions, classifications, identifiers, geographies, metadata and data structures.
Technical sessions featured presentations on Data Harmonisation through NMDS and QPR Portals, Model Data Sharing Framework, digital data-sharing mechanisms, institutional approaches to breaking data silos, AI-ready data ecosystems, Data DHARA methodology, India's Digital Public Infrastructure, UPYOG, health data, and preparation of thematic and extended accounts to measure departmental contributions to the economy. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs demonstrated API-based interoperability including beneficiary-validation use cases, while National Urban Digital Mission and Government of NCT of Delhi's Data DHARA highlighted the potential of harmonized data for real-time urban governance.
The workshop concluded with a reaffirmed commitment to build a modern, harmonized, interoperable, and data-driven National Data System for evidence-based governance, emphasizing that data need not be centralized to generate value—using common standards, identifiers, APIs, and governance mechanisms can enable interoperability across distributed data systems while preserving departmental ownership and ensuring privacy and security.