National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy [ NDSAP 2012 ] by Dr. Rajendra Kumar, IAS, Joint Secretary, DeitY

1. National Data Sharing and
Accessibility Policy
[ NDSAP 2012 ]
Dr. Rajendra Kumar, IAS
Joint Secretary, DeitY

2. Agenda
• Digital India Programme- Introduction
• Need for Open Data
• Benefits from Open Data
• Objectives of NDSAP
• Implementing NDSAP
• Implementation by states
• Way Forward

3. D I G I T A L I N D I A
Digital India
A programme to transform India into a digitally
empowered society and knowledge economy

4. D I G I T A L I N D I A
What is Digital India?
 Digital India is a Programme to prepare India for a knowledge future.
 The focus is on being transformative – to realize IT + IT = IT
 The focus is on making technology central to enabling change.
 It is an Umbrella Programme – covering many departments.
 It weaves together a large number of ideas and thoughts into a single,
comprehensive vision so that each of them is seen as part of a larger goal.
 Each individual element stands on its own. But is also part of the larger picture.
 It is coordinated by DeitY, implemented by the entire government.
 The weaving together makes the Mission transformative in totality
 The Programme:
 Pulls together many existing schemes.
 These schemes will be restructured and re-focused.
 They will be implemented in a synchronized manner.
 Many elements are only process improvements with minimal cost.
 The common branding of programmes as Digital India highlights their
transformative impact.

5. D I G I T A L I N D I A
Vision of Digital India
Centered on 3 Key Areas
• Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen
• Governance & Services on Demand
• Digital Empowerment of Citizens

6. D I G I T A L I N D I A
Vision Area 1: Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen
• High speed internet as a core utility
• Cradle to grave digital identity -unique, lifelong,
online, authenticable
• Mobile phone & Bank account enabling participation
in digital & financial space
• Easy access to a Common Service Centre
• Shareable private space on a public cloud
• Safe and secure Cyber-space

7. D I G I T A L I N D I A
• Seamlessly integrated across departments or
jurisdictions
• Services available in real time from online &mobile
platform
• All citizen entitlements to be available on the cloud
• Services digitally transformed for improving Ease of
Doing Business
• Making financial transactions electronic & cashless
• Leveraging GIS for decision support systems &
development
Vision Area 2: Governance & Services On Demand

8. D I G I T A L I N D I A
• Universal Digital Literacy
• Universally accessible digital resources
• All documents/ certificates to be available on cloud
• Availability of digital resources / services in Indian
languages
• Collaborative digital platforms for participative
governance
• Portability of all entitlements through cloud
Vision Area 3: Digital Empowerment of Citizens

9. D I G I T A L I N D I A
Nine Pillars of Digital India
1. Broadband
Highways
2. Universal Access to
Mobile Connectivity
3. Public Internet
Access Programme
4. E-Governance –
Reforming government
through Technology
5. eKranti – Electronic
delivery of services
6. Information for All
ElectronicsManufacturing
7. Electronics
Manufacturing – Target
NET ZERO Imports
8. IT for Jobs
9. Early Harvest
Programmes

10. D I G I T A L I N D I A
Pillar 6. Information for All
 Online Hosting of Information & documents
 Citizens have open, easy access to information
 Open data platform
 Government pro-actively engages through social
media and web based platforms to inform citizens
 MyGov.in
 2-way communication between citizens and government
 Online messaging to citizens on special occasions/programs
 Largely utilise existing infrastructure – limited additional
resources needed

11. Need for Open Data
• Data are valuable resources that should be made publicly
available to ensure that their potential value is realized
• Increasing demand by community that data should be made
more readily available to all to enable better decision making
• Large volumes of data assets generated using public funds are
not accessible for planning & developmental needs
• Inaccessible data becomes a non performing asset
• Even in areas where there are no restrictions, lack of
Interoperability of data gathered without standardized formats
pose challenges

13. Data Sharing and Accessibility
helps…
Collaboration Participation
Transparency
Means different things to different
groups…
• Democracy advocates seek more
input in decisions
• Citizen seek info about them, for
them
• Entrepreneurs seek data to build
tools that support consumers with
useful info/data
• Academics seek information for
research and development

14. Who Benefits from Open Data?
Open Data is an ecosystem
A government
org publishes
data
Citizens &
developers
engage it,
providing
feedback
That govt. org
incorporates
feedback,
improving data
Demonstrable use
inspires that govt.
org to publish
more
More data
attracts more
data consumers
Positive
interaction
inspires more
governments to
follow suit
1
2
34
5
6
Where government and citizens get into intelligent
interactions based on equal knowledge

15. Benefits of Data Sharing Policy
• Maximizing Usage
• Access to Open Data will maximise usage
• Avoiding duplication
• Sharing data will avoid duplication
• Maximized integration
• Common standards for collection & transfer will promote integration of
data sets
• Ownership
• Identifies those responsible for implementation and development of data
standards
• Better decision-making
• Ready access to data is essential for sound decision making
• Equity of access
• Open Data policy ensures better access to all bonafide users.

16. What Does National Data Sharing
and Access Policy Attempt?
• Make non-sensitive data generated with public funds
available for legitimate civil society use without
restrictions
• RTI act provides information as reactive response
• NDSAP tries to provide proactive access in public
domain
• Defines exclusion principle & prepares negative lists
• Data outside negative list should be accessible
• Data owners are expected to define negative lists
within stipulated time frame

17. Objective of the NDSAP
To facilitate
“Availability and access to data and information
available in machine readable form through a
network all over the country in an obligatory
and time bound output oriented manner, not
violative of national security and policy,
thereby permitting a wider use and accessibility
of public data and information.”

18. Scope of the Policy
• The Policy is designed so as to apply to all sharable
non-sensitive data available either in digital or analog
forms but generated using public funds by various
Ministries / Departments / Subordinate Offices /
Organizations / Agencies of Government of India
• The NDSAP is designed to promote data sharing and
enable access to Government of India owned data for
national planning and development

19. Principles of Data Sharing and Accessibility
Openness,
Flexibility,
Transparency,
Legal conformity,
Protection of intellectual property,
Formal Responsibility,
Professionalism,
Interoperability,
Quality, Security,
Efficiency,
Accountability,
Sustainability,
Privacy
DST was identified as nodal department to coordinate NDSAP
DIT was identified as nodal department for its implementation

20. • data freely available
Open /
Sharable
• data easy to use and re-useAccessible
• data easy to findSearchable
National Data Sharing and Accessibility
Policy

21. Data Classification
• Different types of data sets generated both in
geospatial and non-spatial form by different
Ministries / Departments are to be classified
as shareable data and non-shareable data.

22. Data Classification: Types of Access
• Open Access Data: Access to data generated from public
funding should be easy, timely, user-friendly and web-based
without any process of registration/authorization.
• Registered Access: Data sets which are accessible only
through a prescribed process of registration / authorization by
respective departments / organizations will be available to the
recognized institutions / organizations / public users, through
defined procedures.
• Restricted Access: Data declared as restricted, by
Government of India policies, will be accessible only through
and under authorization.

23. Negative list
• Negative List will be prepared by each Organization/Department/
Ministry/ taking into account the security, privacy, IPR etc.
• The Negative List has to be constantly reviewed so that it is
realistic and is in tune with the technology.
• Lessons from global experiences could be used to prepare
“negative” lists
Examples include:
• Data relating to national sensitivity
• Trade secrets and intellectual property rights
• Protection of rare, threatened or endangered species

24. Negative List
• The Negative List would to be constantly
reviewed so that it is realistic and is in tune with
the technology.
• An oversight committee is constituted to review
the negative list and also any other issues that
arise with regard to data

25. Legal Aspects
• Access to data under this policy will not be in
violation of any Acts and rules of the Government of
India in force.
• Legal framework of this policy will be aligned with
various Acts and rules covering the data including RTI
and Privacy Acts.
• The items excluded in the RTI Act will become part of
the Negative List.
• No violation of any existing laws such as IPR, Copy
Right and proposed Privacy Law.

26. Pricing of Registered Data Access
• The concept envisaged is a process of access to the
data sharing website via a registration process for any
and all users, wherein a user may sign up, after which
he is assigned an account through which he may view
selected data sets at a price fixed by the concerned
ministries / departments
• Data.gov.in will act as a gateway to the user for online
data downloading from respective participating agency
servers

27. Milestones
• 12000+ datasets on data.gov.in
• 82 Central Ministries and State Departments are
participating
• 92 Data Controllers appointed by Central Govt.
• 5 States have appointed data controllers
• 25+ resource apps realized on open government data
• 6 State government departments participating in
uploading State data on the national portal

28. NDSAP Implementation
To implement NDSAP, Ministries/Departments need to undertake
the following activities:
a. Nominate Data Controller
b. Setup NDSAP Cell
c. Identify Datasets
d. Prepare Negative List
e. Publish Datasets on Data Portal
f. Create Action Plan for regular release of datasets on the Data
Portal India
g. Monitor and Manage the Open Data Programme of the
Department

29. Involvement of States
• Consultative Meets with the States
– Role of State Government
– Importance of Data Sharing among stakeholders
• Adoption and Implementation of the State
Policy for data sharing
• Identification of Key partners in the States

30. Participation of State Governments in the
Data Sharing Policy
States which plan to adopt the State Policy
1. Uttar Pradesh
2. Haryana
3. Rajasthan
4. Goa
States which adopted the State Policy
1. Madhya Pradesh [State Policy approved by
State Cabinet]
2. Chhattisgarh [NDSAP adopted ]

31. Contribution of datasets of States on national portal
1. Tamil Nadu
2. Meghalaya
3. Karnataka
4. Chhattisgarh
States which have identified data controllers
1. Meghalaya
2. Karnataka
3. Chhattisgarh
4. Arunachal Pradesh
5. Madhya Pradesh

32. Way Forward
• Govt. of India:
– Appoint data controllers
– More pro-active steps to open data sets
– Adopt common standards for opening data sets
• States:
– Adopt a data sharing policy
– Open data sets on data.gov.in

33. Thank You!
rajendra.ias@gov.in
jsegov@deity.gov.in