Sunday, 23 Mar, 2025
India has been concentrating on enhancing its internal statistics systems at the same time that it was nominated to these international bodies. Image Source: MEA
According to sources, India has been chosen for the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics (UN-CEBD) and has been nominated to the UN Statistical Commission after a lengthy absence.
With nominations to two esteemed United Nations panels, India has reached a major milestone in the global data and statistics sector. India will be able to play a significant role in establishing global standards for data science and the use of big data in official statistics thanks to these appointments. Officials claim that this accomplishment is a turning point that will see India take the lead in creating international data science standards.
According to sources, India has been chosen for the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics (UN-CEBD) and has been nominated to the UN Statistical Council after a lengthy absence. These important appointments put India at the forefront of data science advancements and put the nation in a position to spearhead the development of international standards for the use of data to monitor important aspects like trade, economic growth, sustainability, and rural development.
The UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science Official Statistics was created in 2014 with Australia as its first chair. It was established to look more closely at the advantages and difficulties of big data, particularly the possibility of tracking and reporting on sustainable development objectives.
Providing a strategic vision, direction, and coordination for a global big data program for official statistics, including indicators of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is part of its mandate. It also encourages the practical use of big data sources, including cross-border data, while building on previous successes and resolving the numerous issues that currently exist. Its mandate is to encourage training, experience sharing, and capacity building as well; to increase public trust in the use of big data for official statistics; to promote communication and advocacy of the use of big data for policy applications, particularly for the monitoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The United Nations Statistical Commission, established in 1946, is the highest body of the global statistical system bringing together the Chief Statisticians from member states from around the world. It is the highest decision making body for international statistical activities, responsible for setting of statistical standards and the development of concepts and methods, including their implementation at the national and international level. The Statistical Commission oversees the work of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), and it is a Functional Commission of the UN Economic and Social Council.
By creating new approaches and best practices for utilizing big data and cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), India will now contribute to the development of the future of global data science as a member of these panels. As part of its responsibility, the nation will provide methods and resources that national statistical offices throughout the world can use to enhance their collection of data. India will help create globally standardized models, especially in important areas like economic growth, geospatial data, demographic statistics, gender equality, and environmental-economic accounting, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said in a statement.
In the meantime, India's international reputation for data competence has greatly improved as a result of its involvement in these international committees. The nation will highlight a number of its innovative projects, such as the creation of the Data Innovation Lab, which investigates the application of machine learning and satellite images in policymaking. India's proficiency in data science is expanding quickly, and the nation is in the forefront of creating novel methods for obtaining data, like combining data from several sources. Other countries will be notified of these initiatives in order to assist them in enhancing their own data systems.
India has been concentrating on enhancing its internal statistics systems at the same time that it was nominated to these international bodies. In its report "The State of India’s Statistical System," published last year, the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) emphasized the necessity of reforming national data systems.
In April of last year, Saurabh Garg was named by the government as the secretary of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in order to tackle these issues. In order to guarantee that the nation's data systems are dependable, uniform, and suitable for international comparison, Garg is spearheading initiatives to standardize data across ministries and states.
