“Thinking Aloud Podcast with Dr. Saurabh Garg”

Dr. Subho Ray, President, IAMAI, speaks with Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, on the growing role of data, digital public infrastructure, and artificial intelligence in shaping evidence-based policymaking and India's journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047. The conversation explores the modernization of India's statistical systems, the use of real-time and high-frequency data, GDP and

inflation revisions, Digital India, data governance, privacy, open government data, AI readiness, and the transformative impact of digital public infrastructure such as Aadhaar, UPI, and the JAM Trinity. Offering valuable insights into how data-driven governance, technology, and innovation are strengthening economic decision-making, this episode examines the policies and institutional reforms that are enabling a more transparent, inclusive, and digitally empowered economy.