Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Officials Urge Fiscal Prudence and Agile Data for Viksit Bharat
Two senior officials explained how India can become a developed country by 2047.
V Vualnam said the government should spend money carefully.
He also said investment in infrastructure and other capital projects can support growth.
Saurabh Garg said government data should be easy for computers to read and share.
He said different government departments and states should use data that works together.
The statistics ministry is using artificial intelligence to study information and improve data collection.
Officials said the information used by AI must be checked and reliable.
Vualnam also discussed using agri-stack to send fertilizers more accurately to farmers and noted that about 300 schemes use Direct Benefit Transfers.
V Vualnam said fiscal prudence can strengthen India’s foundation for growth during volatile times.
Saurabh Garg said agile, machine-readable and interoperable data systems are essential for India’s development goal.
Garg said data harmonization across government departments and states is also important.
The statistics ministry is using artificial intelligence to analyze data and improve data collection while seeking to prevent unreliable outputs.
Vualnam highlighted capital expenditure, productive government spending, targeted fertilizer distribution through agri-stack, and about 300 Direct Benefit Transfer schemes.
- Who
- V Vualnam, secretary of the Department of Expenditure, and Saurabh Garg of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
- What
- The officials outlined fiscal, data and spending measures they said could support India’s goal of becoming a developed nation.
- When
- The remarks were made on Thursday.
- Where
- At an event organized by the Public Affairs Forum of India; the articles do not specify the location.
- Why
- The measures are intended to support India’s goal of becoming a developed nation, or Viksit Bharat, by 2047.
- Development goal
- India aims to become a developed nation by 2047.
- Fiscal approach
- V Vualnam emphasized fiscal prudence as a foundation for growth, particularly during volatile times.
- Data standards
- Saurabh Garg called for machine-readable, interoperable and harmonized data.
- Artificial intelligence
- The statistics ministry is using AI for data analysis and to improve data collection.
- AI safeguards
- Garg said the ministry uses AI only when models rely on identified and verified data and do not produce unreliable outputs.
- Agricultural targeting
- The government is examining agri-stack for more targeted fertilizer distribution based on farmers’ land and crops.
- Direct Benefit Transfer
- Around 300 government schemes are currently under the Direct Benefit Transfer mechanism.