From Digital Infrastructure to Decision Intelligence: A Framework for Data-Driven Governance in Viksit Bharat @2047

Abstract India’s vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 requires a digital governance architecture that can transform rapidly expanding volumes of public data into timely, evidence-based, inclusive, transparent, and sustainable policy outcomes. This paper develops an integrated conceptual framework for data-driven digital governance by examining the complementary roles of Data Analytics, Business Intelligence (BI), Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI). Drawing on conceptual analysis and secondary evidence, the study conceptualizes DPI as the foundational layer for interoperable and trusted digital services, while Data Analytics and BI enable the transformation of data into descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive intelligence. Responsible AI further strengthens forecasting, simulation, decision support, and adaptive governance while incorporating principles of transparency, accountability, privacy, fairness, security, and human oversight. A key contribution of the study is the proposed six-level BI maturity model, progressing from Digitization and Reporting to Diagnostic BI, Predictive Analytics, Decision Intelligence, and Adaptive Governance. The model addresses the challenge of dashboard-oriented governance by emphasising the progression from data availability to actionable intelligence, informed decision-making, outcome measurement, and continuous policy feedback. The study also identifies critical barriers, including data fragmentation, interoperability constraints, privacy and cybersecurity risks, algorithmic bias, digital exclusion, institutional capability gaps, and inadequate outcome measurement. To address these challenges, a phased 2027–2047 strategic roadmap is proposed, beginning with common data standards and institutional analytics capacity and progressing toward interoperable, AI-assisted, outcome-oriented, and continuously learning governance systems. The paper argues that India’s long-term digital governance advantage will depend not merely on achieving digitalization at population scale, but on developing the institutional and technological capacity to convert data into intelligence, intelligence into informed decisions, and decisions into measurable and inclusive public value.