India has joined the United Nations Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics (UN-CEBD), a platform established to explore the opportunities and challenges of big data as well as its potential for monitoring and reporting on sustainable development goals.

• The milestone coincides with India's recent membership in the United Nations Statistical Council, the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) said.
• The ministry also noted that India's involvement in the committee will showcase its initiatives like the establishment of the Data Innovation Lab and the exploration of alternative data sources, including satellite imagery and machine learning, for policy development.
• The Data Innovation Lab focuses on fostering an ecosystem for innovation to strengthen the National Statistical System (NSS).