MoSPI, ISI-Backed IDEAS Join Hands for GDP Nowcasting and Data Research

The agreements bring MoSPI and IDEAS together on research projects designed to make official statistics more useful for policy analysis and data-driven decision-making.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has signed two Memoranda of Understanding with the Institute of Data Engineering, Analytics and Science Foundation (IDEAS) at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, opening a new research collaboration focused on GDP nowcasting and better integration of government administrative records with household-level statistical data.

The agreements bring MoSPI and IDEAS together on research projects designed to make official statistics more useful for policy analysis and data-driven decision-making. MoSPI will provide financial assistance and data support for the work, while IDEAS will undertake the research and develop tools that can help analysts draw deeper insights from datasets produced by the government.

The MoUs were signed by IDEAS Chief Executive Officer Agnimitra Biswas and Prasoon Verma, Director, Training Unit, Capacity Development Division, MoSPI. P. R. Meshram, Director General (Data Governance), MoSPI, and R. Rajesh, Additional Director General, Capacity Development Division, MoSPI, were also present at the signing ceremony.

Desktop Tool to Support GDP Nowcasting

The key project under the collaboration involves the development of a desktop-based software tool for GDP nowcasting, an approach used to produce an assessment of current economic activity before complete official economic data for a period becomes available.

Such a tool can help researchers and policymakers examine available indicators in a structured manner and build a more timely picture of economic conditions. The project also creates scope for closer study of the different statistical series released by MoSPI and how these datasets can be analysed alongside information coming from other sources.

The research partnership combines MoSPI's access to official statistics and administrative data with the technical and analytical expertise available through IDEAS and ISI, giving the initiative a practical focus on both statistical research and usable analytical tools.

Health and Nutrition Data to Be Linked With NSS Statistics

The second major area of work will focus on developing a harmonised indicator framework that connects administrative data from government schemes covering health, nutrition and well-being with household-level data collected through the National Sample Survey (NSS).

Government programmes generate large volumes of administrative information, while household surveys provide a different view of people's living conditions, access to services and socio-economic circumstances. Bringing these sources into a harmonised framework can help researchers examine where the datasets complement each other, identify differences in indicators and develop a more detailed understanding of how public programmes relate to outcomes at the household level.

The initiative could also strengthen the analytical value of existing datasets without relying solely on individual sources, giving policymakers a broader evidence base when examining areas such as public health, nutrition and social well-being.

Collaboration Supports Data-Driven Policymaking for Viksit Bharat 2047

MoSPI described the partnership as an innovative knowledge-sharing platform through which its statistics can be studied in greater depth and harmonised with other relevant data sources. Financial and data support from the Ministry, combined with research and software development by IDEAS, is expected to turn statistical information into more practical analytical resources.

The collaboration also reflects the government's growing emphasis on using data as an important part of policy planning and decision-making. Linking datasets, developing timely economic assessment tools and creating common statistical frameworks can make it easier to examine complex economic and social questions through multiple sources of evidence.

The two research studies are aligned with the broader vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047, where reliable statistics, stronger data systems and evidence-based policymaking are expected to play an important role in tracking development and supporting informed government decisions.