Patna: The Planning and Development Department of the Bihar government organised a one-day consultative workshop on the theme “Using Administrative Data for Governance: Linking Departmental Data at the State Level”, aimed at strengthening evidence-based policymaking and improving the use of administrative data in governance.
The workshop brought together senior officials from several state government departments, along with IT managers, data management experts and officials involved in data collection, analysis and monitoring at district and block levels.
Discussions during the workshop focused on standardising administrative data, enabling data sharing across departments and enhancing the effectiveness of policymaking and monitoring through improved data utilisation.
Addressing the participants, Dr N Vijayalakshmi, additional chief secretary of the Planning and Development Department, said better coordination between departments was essential for effective governance.
She noted that a large volume of administrative data is generated across various government departments and that systematic and coordinated use of this data could significantly improve inter-departmental coordination and policymaking.
Vijayalakshmi said scientific analysis of administrative data was critical not only for designing policies but also for evaluating the performance of government schemes.
“Data-driven analysis helps assess the actual impact of schemes and enables the government to take timely corrective measures,” she said.
The workshop was attended by several senior officials and experts, including Kanwal Tanuj, secretary of the Planning and Development Department; Ranjit Kumar, director of the Directorate of Economics and Statistics; Roshan Lal Sahu, deputy director general of the National Statistical Office in Patna; Mahesh Chandra Shukla, director of the Development Informatics and Innovation Division at the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Ram Narayan Yadav, director of the National Intelligent Grid in New Delhi; and Ravish Kishore, director of the Directorate of Evaluation.
Officials said the workshop was organised in preparation for the national-level conference “Data for Development”, which will be hosted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in April 2026.
The Planning and Development Department said the insights and recommendations from the workshop would contribute to discussions at the national conference.
Officials added that improved coordination and utilisation of administrative data could significantly strengthen evidence-based policymaking in the state and support better implementation and evaluation of government programmes, contributing to the broader goal of “Developed Bihar @ 2047.”
