"Ministry has achieved remarkable feat," says Union Minister Sonowal after MoPSW secures second spot in NITI Aayog report

New Delhi [India], May 18 : After the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) secured the second spot in the NITI Aayog report on Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI) among 66 Ministries of the Union Government, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that ministry has achieved a remarkable feat for the wonderful performance in executing projects.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, "This is a remarkable feat for the wonderful performance in executing projects and working towards achieving the ultimate vision of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India an Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047."

"This recognition is for the undying commitment and stupendous hard work put in by every official and staff at all the offices under the ministry. But, this is just a moment of relish in our journey during this Amrit Kaal to remain focussed and committed to building a new India. The report has also given us crucial inputs to improve the implementation framework of government policies, schemes, and programs to achieve the desired goals," he added.

MoPSW secured a score of 4.8 out of 5 to secure the second spot in this survey conducted by Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Ayog.

Sonowal further mentioned that with a reliable data-driven approach informed decisions can be made towards citizen welfare.

"A data-driven approach enables us to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement accurately. With reliable data, more informed decisions can be made with favourable outcomes toward citizen welfare. It helps in decision-making is cost-effective and enhances transparency," he said.

"Our commitment to data-driven decision-making has proved to be an effective testament towards serving the welfare of the people of India. We remain firmly on track to keep improving our effort & efficiency to reach newer heights," he added.

Conducted by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog, the DGQI survey aims to measure the maturity level of administrative data systems and their use in the decision-making of various Ministries and Departments in the implementation of Central Sector Schemes (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS).

The DGQI has assessed the MIS portals for five schemes of MoPSW - Sagarmala, Research and Development, Shipping, ALHW, IWAI & IWT - to enhance data flow, increase data quality and incorporate emerging technologies such as AI/ML, an official statement said.

MoPSW's success in the DGQI assessment is assisted by the concerted efforts of the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, and Coasts at IIT Madras, which was tasked with improving MoPSW's Management Information System (MIS) in compliance with DGQI standards. Notably, the NTCPWC is developed under Sagarmala by MoPSW as a technology arm of the MoPSW, an official statement said.

The DGQI assessment encompasses six pivotal themes, including Data Generation, Data Quality, Use of Technology, Data Analysis, Use and Dissemination, Data Security and HR Capacity, and Case Studies.