Ideas Forum on ‘Unlocking the Power of Data Exchange for Smart Governance’ organised by Government of Odisha

Bhubaneswar (27^th March 2025):An Ideas Forum on ‘Unlocking the Power of Data Exchange for Smart Governance’ was organised today at the State Convention Hall in Lok Seva Bhavan by Data, Policy and Innovation Centre (DPIC) in collaboration with Electronics and Information Technology Department, Government of Odisha. Chief Secretary Odisha Manoj Ahuja graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. The forum featured experts from the Centre of Data for Public Good (CDPG), Indian Institute of Science Bangalore. It was attended by the Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Commissioner cum Secretaries as well as Senior Officials from various Departments of the Government of Odisha.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Odisha Manoj Ahuja said that Odisha is at a pivotal moment in its data governance journey with plans to overhaul its data capabilities through a new State Data Policy. This new policy will help the State improve interoperability, accessibility, and evidence-based decision-making. He further added that the state is working towards building a resilient and scalable data ecosystem that will empower Government Departments and Policymakers to harness data more effectively while ensuring long-term sustainability and flexibility.

Chairman of the Centre of Data for Public Good Professor Inder Gopal spoke on the importance of fostering a scalable and flexible ecosystem for evidence-based decision-making through open-source data exchange platforms. Principal Scientist and Program Manager CDPG Jyotirmoy Dutta and Platform Deployment and Applications Manager CDPG Akshat Sharma also spoke on the occasion. The IISc Team presented the capabilities of the Open-Source Data Exchange Platform which has been designed and successfully implemented by CDPG across various domains and by various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the Government of India, the Government of Telangana and the Survey of India.

Principal Secretary Electronics and Information Technology Department Vishal Kumar Dev said that the Electronics and Information Technology Department is making concerted efforts to leverage cutting-edge data science tools and advanced research methods to drive evidence-based decision-making in governance through DPIC, which is a unique partnership between the Government of Odisha and University of Chicago Trust. He thanked the Indian Institute of Science for participating in the Ideas Forum which will help the state in unlocking the power of data exchange for smart governance

Executive Director DPIC Urmila Chatterjee presented the Vote of Thanks. The program was coordinated by the team from the Electronics and Information Technology Department, Odisha Computer Application Centre, and DPIC.