IT Minister: India should evolve as big centre of data analysis

The entrepreneurs to must help India to become a big centre for data analysis, urged the Minister for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ravi Shankar Prasad, talking at an occasion to recognise start-up ventures jointly organised by MeitY, ASSOCHAM and Ericsson.

"How can you help India become a big centre of data analysis? …as someone said, data is the new oil," Prasad said while remarking over industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s oft-repeated statement that ‘data is the new oil’.

The minister emphasized on the requirement of data by the government for policy making, however, he noted that the data obtained should be anonymous.

Explaining his views through an example, the minister said, "Suppose in a particular area a large number of children get affected (by some diseases) and the government wants to have a policy (to help them). I seek your (start-ups) support. You must have the data, why this particular ailment is happening in this part of the country — geographical, social, economic (data)."

"But data must be anonymous so that victims (people) are not known."

Further, Prasad said, "My take on data privacy is very simple. There has to be a balance between data availability, data utility, data innovation, data anonymity and data privacy."

While stating "we generate a lot of data", the minister included that it ought to be properly safeguarded.

Source: techgig.com