K.S. James, research scientist, Newcomb Institute, Tulane University, USA, has said that lack of availability of data will affect the planning of local development initiatives. He was speaking after opening the Kozhikode chapter of the Kerala Economic Association at the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, on Sunday.
Mr. James, a former director of the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, said administrative data such as those related to births and deaths could be used for regional planning. The data collection should lead to the implementation of a real data-driven development project rather than punitive measures, he added.
