‘Micro Matters, Using Data for Development in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ a publication by Reliance Foundation and Observer Research Foundation has been featured on the Think20 (T20) site, the official Engagement Group of the G20 intergovernmental forum.

Presenting eight lessons from interventions by civil society organisations in India on advancing the country’s data for development agenda, Micro Matters was released at the Raisina Dialogue 2023 in New Delhi in March 2023.

Through gathering data; processing it to evolve insights; translating insights into actions; and making a social impact the modus operandi of the interventions featured in the publication reflect many of the priorities articulated by the Government of India, and are examples of the D4D ethos that India is keen to promote as President of the G20.

India’s status as a global digital powerhouse makes it an important voice in the evolving discourse on D4D. Indeed, data-driven applications are intrinsic to the Digital India programme, which is building a “digitally empowered society and knowledge economy”, and recalibrating “governance and services on demand”.

With India already being hailed by many as the voice of the Global South both within the G20 and beyond, there could not be a more consequential time to start mainstreaming the D4D approach into the international development agenda. ‘Micro Matters’ could serve as a step in this direction, and guide policymakers and practitioners alike.

India’s advancements in the domain of data use and its commitment to D4D are being lauded on the world stage. The 2022 BRICS Forum on Big Data for Sustainable Development saw five world powers agree to enhance collaboration around big data as a tool for sustainable development, and Indian voices were instrumental in helping the Forum agree that increased data-centric cooperation among nations is imperative.

The country’s prowess at deploying drones for development-focused data generation has led the World Economic Forum to estimate that drones and the data economy they are establishing could boost India’s GDP by US$100 billion and create nearly half a million jobs in coming years. And the United Nations has recognised India’s data-based SDG India Index and Dashboard as a “crucial tool in India’s SDG monitoring efforts” and an “advocacy tool to propagate the messages of sustainability, resilience and partnerships”.

The publication hopes to provide replicable and scalable ideas and models for the country’s social development space.

Click here to learn more and download the publication.