The National Statistics Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), launched the beta version of its Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the eSankhyiki portal, the national portal for official statistics. The MCP server is designed to enable users to connect their own artificial intelligence tools and applications directly to official datasets, reducing the need to download large files. The NSO said the initiative forms part of a wider effort to make official statistics more accessible to citizens, researchers and businesses. The beta release includes seven data products, covering the Periodic Labour Force Survey, Consumer Price Index, Annual Survey of Industries, Index of Industrial Production, National Account Statistics, Wholesale Price Index and Environmental Statistics, with further datasets to be added in the coming months. The MCP server allows queries across multiple datasets through a single connection and supports integration into existing analysis pipelines. This reduces data preparation time and allows users to focus on analysis and decision making. Officials said the MCP server enables automated reporting, real time integration of current statistics and the embedding of government data into the artificial intelligence tools people already use. The NSO described the launch as a step towards building the data infrastructure needed for Viksit Bharat and said the initiative would strengthen data driven policy making across levels of government. The office noted the launch, ahead of the AI Impact Summit scheduled for February 15-20, 2026, aligns with the objectives of Working Group six on Democratising AI chaired by Dr Saurabh Garg. Users can access the MCP server through the ministry website and technical documentation and support are available online. The NSO said additional products from the eSankhyiki portal will be onboarded progressively based on user feedback and technical readiness, with the intention of reducing barriers to data use for researchers, businesses and policymakers.