From Portals to Insights: NSO Democratizes Data Access with AI-Ready eSankhyiki Integration
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National Statistics Office (NSO) | Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)
The National Statistics Office (NSO) has launched the beta version of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the eSankhyiki portal. Announced on February 6, 2026, this technological initiative allows users to connect directly with official national datasets through their own AI tools and applications. By removing barriers between users and official statistics, the MCP server aims to significantly reduce data access time and foster an ecosystem of real-time, data-driven decision-making for businesses, researchers, and policymakers.
Pillars of AI-Ready Data Infrastructure The launch identifies three core strategic pillars for modernizing the national data ecosystem:
Seamless Tool Integration: The MCP technology enables the integration of official statistics directly into individual analysis tools. This allows for the automation of reports using current statistics and direct querying of datasets without the need to download large, cumbersome files.
Diversified Data Onboarding: The beta version currently includes seven critical data products: Periodic Labour Force Survey, Consumer Price Index, Annual Survey of Industries, Index of Industrial Production, National Account Statistics, Wholesale Price Index, and Environmental Statistics.
Institutional Alignment for Democratization: This initiative aligns with the objectives of Working Group 6 on Democratising AI, chaired by the Secretary of MoSPI. It serves as a precursor to the AI Impact Summit (February 15-20, 2026), demonstrating India’s agency in creating a “technology-agnostic” data infrastructure.
What is the “Model Context Protocol” (MCP) in the context of official statistics? The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a technology that serves as a bridge between official government datasets and private Artificial Intelligence applications. In the context of the eSankhyiki portal, the MCP server allows an AI model to “understand” and “query” the structured statistical data directly, rather than a user having to manually find, download, and reformat a CSV or PDF file. This creates a single connection point for multiple datasets, making official government numbers “AI-ready” and instantly accessible for complex analysis.
Policy Relevance
The launch of the MCP server represents a transition from static data publishing to dynamic data empowerment. By making official statistics AI-ready, the Ministry of Statistics is ensuring that the “India Stack” evolves to include high-fidelity data feeds, which are essential for building the digital infrastructure needed for Viksit Bharat.
Strategic Impact:
Enhancing Administrative Efficiency: Policymakers now have immediate access to the numbers they need, allowing for “just-in-time” policy adjustments based on real-time economic indicators like CPI or IIP.
Fostering Commercial Innovation: By making datasets “technology-agnostic,” the government allows businesses to integrate national statistics into their internal forecasting models, supporting more informed commercial decision-making.
Democratizing Information Access: Removing the technical barrier of large-file downloads empowers citizens and independent researchers to participate in national development through better access to information.
Global Leadership in Data Statecraft: As a step toward the AI Impact Summit, India is demonstrating a proactive model for how national statistical offices can utilize emerging technologies to create a more transparent and usable data ecosystem.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can MoSPI and NSO leverage the feedback from the ‘AI Impact Summit’ to develop standardized API protocols that ensure the long-term ‘AI-readiness’ of all future datasets added to the eSankhyiki portal?
Follow the full news here: NSO Launches MCP Server | PIB