'Not good' for govt to share data in aggregated form: Amitabh Kant

Amitabh Kant said the quality of the data is also very poor and "we need to ensure that the data is de-cluttered, presented in a simplistic way and it is not difficult to navigate"

India's G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant on December 13 pitched for the dissemination of data by the government in a granular form and said that sharing aggregated information is "not good".

Addressing the G-20 development working group meeting here, Mr. Kant said data is a key aspect to help any country meet her developmental goals and added that India has benefitted from the same.

Stressing on the importance of ensuring quality of data, the former civil servant who till recently worked as the chief executive of the government think-tank NITI Aayog made the reference to data aggregation practices by the government.

"…Government data are provided as aggregates, which is not good. We should break down the aggregation," Mr. Kant said.

He said many a time, the quality of the data is also very poor and "we need to ensure that the data is de-cluttered, presented in a simplistic way and it is not difficult to navigate".

Mr. Kant also hit out against government officers for being "possessive" about data and often resist sharing them.

"We need to overcome this challenge so as to help academics and researchers analyse the data and use it for best outcomes," he added.