World Bank Technical Mission Reviews Odisha’s Statistical Ecosystem; Focus on OISS and International Best Practices for Data-Driven Governance.
Bhubaneswar: A technical mission from the World Bank, led by Mr. Thomas Danielewitz, Senior Economist and Team Lead, along with other members have a detailed review meeting with the officers of the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES) of Odisha on 3rd and 4th April 2025. The meeting, focused on critical aspects of developing and strengthening the state’s statistical data ecosystem under the World Bank-supported Odisha State Capability and Resilient Growth Program.
The World Bank team met with Ms. Anu Garg, Development Commissioner -cum -Addl. Chief Secretary, Odisha to have a wrap-up discussion on the progress and way forward for the project in the conference hall of the Planning and Convergence Department on 4th April 2025. Director, Economics and Statistics Dr. B.B.Nanda along with other officers of DE&S, Odisha were present in the meeting.
The discussions emphasized the importance of adopting Generic Statistics Business Process modelling in the State Government in all its statistical process and products with the help of international experts. Besides, focus was on building capacities among DES officials through exposure visits to front-runner State and countries, aiming to adopt international best practices and cutting-edge technologies to enhance statistical data systems in Odisha. The key focus was on creating the Odisha Integrated Statistical System (OISS), which is critically dependent on fostering greater cooperation and coordination among administrative departments, ensuring the timely and reliable provision of data for informed decision-making. This initiative is expected to significantly bolster the state’s statistical capabilities, contributing to more robust policymaking and governance.
The Development Commissioner appreciated the initiatives and advised to adopt latest technology in terms of hardware and software to have an efficient statistical system to promote evidence based decision making, planning and policy formulation.