India, Nov. 5 -- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved several initiatives covering energy storage, critical minerals, statistical infrastructure, judicial reforms and defence recruitment. Information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decisions to the media at the Cabinet briefing in New Delhi.

The Cabinet approved a five-year scheme with an outlay of Rs.4,371 crore to modernise India's official data collection system, improve the quality of statistics and make data more accessible for policymaking, at both state and central level. The Viksit Bharat Initiative for Statistical Transformation, Analytics and Research (VISTAR) will run from FY 2027 to 2031 and will use artifici...