Harnessing India’s data intelligence for social impact

Access to information is the cornerstone of action and change, particularly in the social sector. High-quality data supports evidence-based and well-founded decisions, enabling effective interventions and fostering lasting transformation. Data plays a crucial role in driving significant social impact.

Big data analytics influences social innovation by offering insights into real-world issues and guiding the design of solutions to address them. In recent years, data and data analytics have emerged as important factors in accelerating social change.

In India, too, data has proven to be an imperative for fundamental change at the grassroots level. For Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs), data is more than a tool; it is the foundation of sustainable and inclusive programming. When SPOs can access relevant data, they are better equipped to identify needs and allocate resources effectively.

For example, a grassroots organisation, working on child health in a tribal block of eastern India, accessed new district-level datasets and found a correlation between midday meal distribution schedules and growth outcomes of children.

Based on this insight, the SPO reworked its outreach strategy to build a stronger case for intervention. Such stories are becoming increasingly possible as SPOs start harnessing data in ways that reflect ground realities, not just policy directives.

By leveraging data, SPOs can move beyond anecdotal experience and create practical programmes. Easily accessible and understandable data helps SPOs recognise areas of work and justify resource requirements and guide their allocation, ensuring equitable distribution and preventing the perpetuation of systemic inequities.

Reliable and up-to-date data can help SPOs tailor their programs that best meet the needs of target populations and adjust their strategies based on ground realities.

Need for data granularity

In practice, SPOs need hyperlocal information—often at the block or village level—to design programmes. National datasets, such as the Census, provide valuable demographic insight into districts, blocks, and villages. They help identify priority regions and customise distribution of resources. However, the long gap between two surveys or the duration of datasets could become a challenge. SPOs working in rapidly evolving rural or urban contexts need updated data at frequent intervals.

The World Bank’s Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI) framework also underscores the way delayed or incomplete data undermines evidence-based policymaking at all levels.

Interim surveys may not necessarily yield comprehensive insights due to limited sampling frames. This leaves many organisations working without micro-level data needed to tailor programs till the last mile. For instance, a healthcare initiative may target a district based on state-level malnutrition rates but overlook a village facing acute food insecurity. This disconnect between available data and ground realities can undermine program effectiveness, leaving vulnerable populations underserved despite well-intended efforts.

For many SPOs, this gap between on-the-ground experience and what’s captured in available datasets is the real challenge. Without timely, hyperlocal insights, even the most committed interventions risk missing the mark. The result? Resources are stretched, outcomes are diluted, and communities remain underserved.

These challenges are not rooted in organisational oversight, but in the limitations of the broader data ecosystem. SPOs work within a system where the necessary data is often unavailable or outdated. They are ready to act but ofte

Scattered data sources

Even when data is available, SPOs face challenges in accessing and integrating it meaningfully. Information sits with different governing bodies, departments, and platforms, which can make it difficult for smaller organisations to build a holistic picture. While structured datasets like Excel files are more commonly accessible, other valuable resources, such as policy briefs, evaluation reports, or qualitative research, are harder to locate or integrate into planning processes.

Additionally, many grassroots organisations may not have the technical tools or capacity to interpret diverse datasets optimally. This can hinder connecting insights across sectors—for instance, to understand how improved sanitation correlates with better child healthcare outcomes, food security schemes with malnutrition trends, and school dropout rates with local employment patterns.

Without the ability to draw such connections and establish actionable links, important stories of change remain untold and opportunities for deeper impact may be missed.

To address this, efforts must focus on simplifying data access and analysis. When SPOs can draw from diverse and interoperable datasets with ease, they are far better equipped to plan, deliver, and evaluate inclusive development interventions.

 The need of the hour

Instead of relying on SPOs for data expertise, the focus must shift toward enabling them through better infrastructure and ecosystem support. India’s growing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) holds promise not just for service delivery, but also for democratising access to social data.

Platforms, which simplify analysis and allow SPOs to work with both structured and semi-structured data, are a promising step in this direction. For example, ISDM DataSights, a free data platform developed by the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) and powered by Capgemini, helps SPOs conduct intersectional analysis and access diverse datasets without requiring technical skills. It also transparently addresses disparities in data sources, helping organisations make informed choices.

 All for data, data for all

To move from good intentions to lasting outcomes, India’s development sector must be empowered with high-quality, inclusive, and accessible data. This means reimagining data beyond just a resource to be consumed, to a public good to be shared, stewarded, and evolved collectively.

SPOs have the right intent and steady momentum. They now need access to data that is no longer a privilege but a baseline—data that empowers them to lead with insight and benefits communities from truly informed change.

(Anurag Pratap is Vice President & Head of Corporate Social Responsibility – India, Capgemini; Trisha Varma is Director, Global Knowledge Hub, ISDM; and Mallika Luthra is Research Associate, ISDM DataSights, ISDM.)