
Telangana surpasses national average in online banking, telecom survey reveals
HYDERABAD: Telangana has emerged as one of the top performers in digital adoption and internet skills in the country, according to the latest 'Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom 2025' released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The report highlights the state's top-tier performance in online banking, digital literacy and mobile internet adoption between January and March 2025.
In the age group of 15-29 years, 87.8% of respondents from Telangana reported the ability to perform online banking transactions using mobile or computer devices — a staggering 20 percentage points higher than the national average of 68.7%. The state also reported a 94.5% capability rate in rural areas, defying common trends of urban-rural digital divide.
'This reflects the effectiveness of digital literacy campaigns and financial inclusion efforts rolled out across Telangana,' said an expert.
'Dual-channel financial usage indicates digital maturity'
The report also stated that 32.7% of individuals aged between 15 and 29 in Telangana use both UPI and traditional net banking, compared to the all-India average of just 18.8%. This dual-channel adoption indicates a more digitally mature user base, comfortable with a range of financial technologies. It is worth noting that 77.2% of rural individuals use UPI compared to 58.8% in urban areas.
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India Gazette
12 hours ago
- India Gazette
Delhi: National Workshop on Alternate Data Sources and Frontier Technologies focuses on policy making
New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), in partnership with NITI Aayog and the World Bank as a knowledge partner, organised a two-day National Workshop entitled 'Using Alternate Data Sources and Frontier Technologies for Policy Making.' This event took place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on June 5 and 6. The National Workshop concluded with a Valedictory Session on 6 June. According to the release, the Valedictory Session was graced by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to GoI as the Chief Guest; Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, D/o Science and Technology; Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI and P.R. Meshram, Director General, MoSPI. The two-day workshop was attended by over 450 participants from central ministries, state governments, international organisations, including the World Bank, academic and research institutions, and private sector entities. In his address, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to GoI and the Chief Guest of the event, emphasised that alternate data sources and frontier technologies are increasingly becoming critical for policy making. These high-frequency indicators are more dynamic and offer timely insights, enabling policies to be more agile and responsive. While traditional data sources reflect where we have been, the alternative data sources indicate where we are heading. He added that though alternative data sources provide real-time information at a much granular level, they cannot replace traditional data sources. He emphasised the need for the best policy, which blends both traditional and alternative data sources. He highlighted various use cases where alternate data sources have been effectively used. He stressed the need for collaboration between the Government, academia, researchers, industry and international organisations for the effective use of new technologies. He also called for the ethical deployment of AI and said that data security and privacy concerns cannot be compromised. Further, he asserted that the development of the techno-legal framework for Digital Public Infrastructure is a gift of India to the World. Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, D/o Science and Technology, in his address, remarked that the policy-making process is a complex exercise which involves gathering of data, consultation with stakeholders and drawing insights. AI/ML has facilitated the timely processing of data for designing actionable policies. In this age and time, the challenge is not to collect data but to make sense of the data. The real challenge lies in addressing issues relating to data privacy, data security, regulatory framework, and institutional readiness. He emphasised the need for an institutionalised hybrid data ecosystem which has equal place for both traditional and alternative data sources. Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI, in his address emphasised the need to foster collaboration with various stakeholders for developing a robust statistical system to address the data needs for policy making. He opined that as survey data becomes available with a time lag, alternative data sources can be used to supplement traditional data sources for policy making in real time. While quoting the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, he emphasised that for statistical purposes best combination of the four data sources, namely surveys, censuses, administrative records and alternate data sources, may be drawn with quality and timeliness, along with limiting cost and respondent burden. He expected that in the next 3-6 months, MoSPI would be able to implement some of the use cases that have been identified to harness alternate data sources and the application of frontier technologies. He thanked the World Bank for conceptualising and NITI Aayog for collaborating with MoSPI in organising this workshop and expressed that India will be at the forefront of integrating alternate data sources and frontier technologies in the National Statistical Frameworks. In the welcome address, P.R. Meshram, Director General (Data Governance), expressed gratitude to NITI Aayog, World Bank, and other participants for their active involvement during the two-day event. He added that the workshop has not only deepened our understanding of the challenges in the integration of alternate data sources in the statistical system of the country, but also helped chart out the solutions to the challenges. The key highlights of the four technical sessions on the subjects, viz, AI and Data Science for Official Statistics; Mobile Phone Data for Tourism Statistics; Geo-spatial Data for Sampling, Ocean Accounting and Data Dissemination and Scanner data for CPI compilation held during Workshop were also discussed during the valedictory session along with key takeaways. Some of the salient points of the technical sessions are as under: Technical sessions on the subject started with setting the context for the use of AI and data science in official statistics and identifying key stakeholders. Way forward for National Statistics Office, considering the stage it is in, i.e. from pilot stage to production stage, was discussed during the session. Abhishek Singh, CEO, India AI and Debjani Ghosh, Chief Architect, Frontier Tech Hub, NITI Aayog, Ankit Bose, Head AI, NASSCOM, Prof. Balaraman Ravindran, IIT-Madras, Richard Campbell, UK ONS, and Thomas Danielewitz, Malar Veerappan, Shreya Dutt from World Bank were among the key speakers. Technical Sessions on the subject also focused on discussion to devise a methodological framework using mobile phone data for tourism statistics tailored to Indian needs and covered relevant issues like data privacy and regulatory challenges. Use-cases from other countries for tourism, urban mobility and infrastructure assessment were discussed during the technical session. Safi A. Rizvi, Advisor, NDMA, Siim Esko, International Project Development Lead, Positium, Esperanza Magpantay, Senior Statistician, International Telecommunication Union, Titi Kanti Lestari, Atma Jaya University, Indonesia, Asit Kadyan, D/o Telecommunication, GoI and Sagar Mathur, Vice President, Airtel, were among the key speakers. Technical Sessions on Geo-spatial Data for Sampling, Ocean Accounting and Data Dissemination of the workshop highlighted the transformative potential of geospatial technologies in enhancing official statistics, with a focus on updating sampling frames in urban areas, improving data collection, integration, and dissemination. The latter part of the technical session was devoted to exploring the application of geospatial data in ocean accounting. The session featured enriching presentations and discussions by Richard Campbell, Deputy Director, UK Office for National Statistics; Kate Hess, Solution Engineer, ESRI; Srikant Shastri, Chairperson, Geospatial Data Promotion & Development Committee; Anija Shukla, Environment Specialist, World Bank; Rashmi Verma, Co-Founder, MapMyIndia, along with experts from NRSC, INCOIS, NCCR and various academic and research institutions. Speakers demonstrated advanced geospatial tools integrated with AI techniques for feature extraction, change detection, and spatial stratification, showcasing use cases that illustrated the value of GIS-AI convergence for dynamic visualisations, real-time dashboards, and evidence-based policymaking. Technical sessions on the subject covered concepts and methodologies related to scanner data, web scraping techniques, requisite IT infrastructure and other available alternative data sources for integration in Consumer Price Index (CPI). Key speakers in the session were Federico Polidoro, World Bank; Luigi Palumbo from the Bank of Italy, Prof. Himanshu from JNU, Dr. Aditi Chaubal from IIT Bombay, Anand Agarwal from V-Mart, Sonu Shah from Nielsen IQ and many others from industry and academic organisations. Sessions provided valuable insights for accelerating MoSPI's ongoing efforts for the integration of alternative data sources, particularly scanner data and e-commerce data in CPI compilation methodology. The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Ashutosh Ojha, DDG, MoSPI. He expressed gratitude to the Chief Guest, other dignitaries, participants from Multilateral agencies, industries, academia, researchers, as well as officers from both central and state governments for gracing the event. (ANI)


Indian Express
21 hours ago
- Indian Express
MoSPI plans to conduct sentiment, outlook surveys using proposed business register
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) plans to conduct surveys to gauge the sentiment among businesses using its proposed Statistical Business Register. The register – which is to be based on administrative data ranging from the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, among others – will list all formal business entities on a dynamic basis, covering their birth, death, split, and merger. According to a presentation made at MoSPI's two-day workshop on 'Using Alternate Data Sources and Frontier Technologies for Policy Making' that concluded on Friday, the business register will also feature an artificial intelligence-based search engine. To be sure, any sentiment or business outlook survey seems to be some time away, with the statistics ministry setting up a 21-member working group to develop Integrated Official Business Statistics only on March 4, 2025. The working group, chaired by a MoSPI official, has representatives from the ministries of commerce, corporate affairs, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, electronics and information technology, finance, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), among others, as per an office memorandum seen by The Indian Express. The working group has been tasked with preparing a dynamic Statistical Business Register and developing the IT infrastructure to host, maintain, and ensure security and confidentiality of the database that will contain data on all business entities of India. Any business sentiment or outlook survey done by the MoSPI will be a first for a government ministry, although the RBI does conduct multiple surveys of businesses, including an industrial outlook survey of the manufacturing sector and one relating to its order book, inventory, and capacity utilisation. The central bank also conducts a services and infrastructure outlook survey. However, any sentiment or outlook survey held by MoSPI from the proposed business register will likely have a much larger sample size than the RBI's surveys, which see responses from fewer than 1,500 companies. As per the presentation made at the two-day MoSPI workshop, the business register will contain details about an entity's nature of activity, location, demographic, and 'stratification parameters' such as number of employees and turnover, among others. The register is expected to form the 'backbone' of the Integrated Official Business Statistics, which will be a centralised data platform. Access to the platform will be tiered – aggregated for the public, detailed for policymakers, and controlled for researchers.


Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
What more to expect from Paraguayan President's visit
A lot can happen over a maiden visit of a State leader. Paraguayan President Santiago Peña's three day long maiden visit to India from June 2- 4 presents a momentum in turning point in the ties of New Delhi and Asuncion, the capital of the landlocked, riverine nation. An economist by degree and occupation, President Peña brings a data-driven perspective to governance, viewing society through analytical metrics not just by his political ideology and preconceived principles, drawing from office. Prior to assuming the presidency, President Pena was the finance minister and once led the Central Bank of Paraguay. President Peña's maiden visit after a brief gap of any leader's visit to India occurs at an time when China has almost no naysayers in Latin America. Paraguay is the only country in South America that maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Strategically, India and Paraguay share a common outlook on supporting Taiwan's autonomy. In December, Paraguay expelled Chinese envoy Xu Wei for alleged interference in its internal affairs. During his visit to New Delhi, President Peña held comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a wide range of issues. He emphasized that Paraguay produces enough food to feed ten times its own population. The nation possesses an intimate knowledge of the soil, yet remains bereft of technological acumen. Agritech and high-tech collaboration are essential between two aspiring nations. India is a perfect match in advancing its ambition for global food security through such partnerships. Interestingly, Paraguay also produces stevia, a natural sweetener permitted in India; however, Indian importers currently rely mostly on China and the US. There is clear scope for Indian players to tap into Paraguay as a new and reliable source. Paraguay's export portfolio is traditionally reserved to the periphery, with most of its trade directed to China, Brazil, and Argentina. However, it is now actively seeking to diversify its partners. As a landlocked nation with no coastline to secure, Paraguay benefits from a relatively low defence burden. It borders Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest—all trade partners, not threats. Given its strategic central location in South America, Paraguay could serve as a valuable regional hub for India to access broader Latin American markets. Both countries are eager to strengthen and expand their existing trade links under the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement. However, consensus among all five MERCOSUR member states is required to expand any talks between India and MERCOSUR. Paraguay's trade with China is about $5 billion plus whereas with India time to time differs from $130 million to $470 million. India wouldn't be in a position to reach anything near that China's export but it should rapidly increase the trade volume. India's advances in IT, digitalisation, innovation, and platforms like UPI and UIDAI have drawn interest from many South American countries, including Paraguay. Paraguay has historically maintained modest defence expenditures, but recent years have seen a shift in strategy. As India begins producing AK-203 assault rifles in Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with Russia, there is growing interest in expanding defence cooperation. Paraguay may consider imports of defence and surveillance items for traditional as well as cyber threats, including Indian-manufactured small arms and police equipment. Paraguay has overcome its traumatic past marked by two wars - the War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870) against Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, which resulted in the loss of a large part of its territory and left the nation devastated for decades. And the other, Chaco War against Bolivia (1932–1935). Despite being landlocked, Paraguay is crisscrossed by large rivers and generates nearly all its electricity from hydroelectric sources. The Itaipu Dam, a joint operation with Brazil, supplies about 90% of Paraguay's electricity. India's capabilities in riverine and flood data management, as well as weather prediction, could be of immense value to Paraguay's hydro-focused energy sector. Given Paraguay's extensive river systems, there may also be opportunities for India and Paraguay to exchange knowledge or develop initiatives related to riverine connectivity - benefiting from each other's experience as major riverine nations. A member of the Lima Group, Paraguay is a vocal supporter of reforming the United Nations Security Council and other multilateral institutions, including global financial systems. India, with its rich civilizational heritage and growing global influence, is well-positioned to build a deep and enduring relationship with Paraguay—one that spans not just trade, but also for a defiant advocate of multipolarity. For an economist or a social scientist, society is the largest laboratory. During his visit, President Peña has already engaged with numerous leaders and heads of institutions. He showed particular interest in the Vande Bharat trains and connectivity projects, signalling plans to explore and possibly collaborate in these areas. Paraguay, a nation of around seven million people is a vast agrarian country, with approximately 40% of its territory covered in forest. It also possesses rich mineral resources, including critical minerals such as uranium and lithium which are in demand in India. Paraguay has had its share of challenges despite being a high performer in the agriculture sector. India should come forward identifying and helping to eradicate them. With its brigade of travel influencers, India must promote the nation's civilisation-based tourism and Spanish speaking youtubers bring more visitors to India. Paraguay is dire need of applied technology especially IT. Business ties between India and Paraguay could expand beyond meat and soybean exports. Major Indian automobile companies are already present in Paraguay, but there is scope for exporting superior tech-driven mobility equipment such as two-wheelers, lifts, elevators, and goods transporters. This article is authored by Ayanangsha Maitra, journalist, Center of Geoeconomics for the Global South, UAE.