Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta emphasizes use of data in policy-making
Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta after inaugurating a workshop on ‘Strengthening the use of data in Governance in Himachal Pradesh here today said that the data is like the ‘new soil of governance’ and the better we use it, the better the results will be. In the era of AI and information technology the role of data was constantly increasing. Better use of data will not only help in policy formulation but also accelerate the state’s progress. He emphasized that the true power of data is revealed when various facts are properly integrated.
The Chief Secretary noted that various departments collect different types of data and better aggregation and integration of this data was essential for planning. He emphasized that ‘Data Literacy’ also plays a crucial role in data collection and emphasized that accuracy was crucial while maintaining the same. He said that officials should monitor and analyze the data coming from the field offices together keeping confidentiality of departmental data prevent tampering.
It is essential to develop a secure and interoperable State Data Integration Platform, build a robust data governance infrastructure, establish data labs or policy labs in collaboration with institutions so as to encourage interdepartmental data use and make data an integral part of administrative functioning.
The Chief Secretary stated that Himachal Pradesh was performing exceptionally well in various sectors, viz: rural economy, education, and health. He emphasized that the state’s progress should be reflected in data and should be made user-friendly for the public.
Finance Secretary Dr. Abhishek Jain welcomed the Chief Secretary and other senior officials to the workshop.
On this occasion, Dr. Jain stated that the most important asset today was data and the collection of accurate information. He added that data provides insights into many important aspects related to various sectors. The state is moving beyond data collection to data utilization, and to establish data as a key asset of governance, he said. Training programs will be organized through Indian School of Business (ISB) for better data collection. He said that capacity building programs were also organized at the district level.
Presentations highlighting the importance of data were also given in the workshop.
Additional Chief Secretary K.K. Pant, R.D. Nazeem, Secretaries, heads and senior officials of various departments were present in this workshop. Deputy Commissioners of various districts participated in this workshop virtually.
