Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan inaugurated a workshop on “Data Harmonization: Building a Data-Linked Governance System” organized by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics and the Planning Department’s CPPGG.
Addressing participants, Bardhan said that modern governance is judged not by intentions but by outcomes, and reliable, high-quality data is essential for measuring those outcomes accurately.
He noted that Uttarakhand faces unique developmental challenges due to its geography, disaster vulnerability, migration trends, and environmental concerns. In such a scenario, data harmonization goes beyond merely coordinating statistics and can become the foundation for predictive planning and effective policymaking.
The Chief Secretary highlighted the importance of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and machine learning in data management but stressed that data quality, privacy, and security must be ensured before their widespread use.
The workshop’s chief guest, Saurabh Garg, praised Uttarakhand’s initiative and said the state was among the first to seriously pursue discussions on data harmonization after a recent national workshop in Bhubaneswar.
Anna Roy emphasized that collecting data alone is insufficient; proper analysis and interpretation are equally important. She assured the state of technical support from NITI Aayog.
Experts from Indian School of Business, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, J-PAL, and the World Bank also participated in the workshop.
