Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has been continuously endeavouring to bring out better and newer parameters to capture the diverse nuances of the economy holistically. The Ministry, in collaboration with Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata held a one-day workshop today in India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on the novel and emerging area of Gross Domestic Knowledge Product (GDKP), propounded by Prof. Umberto Sulpasso, Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Future, University of Southern California. Prof. Sulpasso was the key speaker in the workshop, which was inaugurated by Dr. Rajiv Kumar, VC, NITI Aayog and attended by, among others, academicians from ISI and IIT Mumbai, senior officers from various scientific Ministries and Government agencies, RBI and ESCAP country office.

As an economy develops, the key driver for growth changes over time. However, one engine, which has always dominated the modern times and has acted in different ways, is KNOWLEDGE. India has played a dominant role in the ICT sector globally and has contributed to the knowledge economy significantly.

            That Veda literally means knowledge, and with knowledge, moving out from ivory tower to mass-production prompted Prof. Sulpasso to select India as the first country, which should embark on assessing the contribution of the knowledge revolution to economic growth.

            The expert talks were followed by a Round-Table discussion. At the end of the Workshop, it was decided that it is necessary to measure GDKP for India, which would include firming up the conceptual framework and the capture of relevant data, in consultation with Prof. Sulpasso.

 AKT/KP