LUCKNOW, Aug. 2 -- India will host the meeting of heads of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) of BRICS countries in Lucknow on August 3 and 4 under its 2026 BRICS Chairship. Discussions will centre on strengthening statistical cooperation, improving data quality and promoting innovation in official statistics. The two-day meeting, being organised by the National Statistics Office under the ministry of statistics and programme implementation, will bring together representatives from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The theme for the meeting is "Quality Statistics as Driver of Change." The event is part of India's broader BRICS Chairship theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability (BRICS)," and is aimed at enhancing collaboration in statistical dissemination, exchanging best practices and developing more responsive statistical systems to meet the growing demand for timely, granular and reliable data. According to the ministry, official statistics have become increasingly important for evidence-based policymaking, sustainable development and monitoring economic and social progress. Since 2010, BRICS countries have jointly published the Joint Statistical Publication (JSP), while the Snapshot BRICS JSP has been released annually since 2020 to provide harmonised and easily accessible statistical information. The meeting follows the technical meeting of BRICS NSOs held in April this year, where member countries finalised the framework, responsibilities and timelines for the 2026 editions of the two publications. Key discussion areas during the Lucknow meeting, according to a press release from the ministry, will include strengthening BRICS statistical publications, reforming national statistical systems, improving data dissemination and accessibility, and enhancing macroeconomic and sectoral statistics. Two side events have also been scheduled alongside the main meeting. On August 3, experts will deliberate on "Unlocking the Potential of Administrative Data," while the August 4 session will focus on "AI Readiness in the Evolving Data Ecosystem." Policymakers, academicians, think tanks, civil society organisations and technical experts are expected to participate in these discussions....