PUTRAJAYA (April 20): The Central Database Hub, the government’s unified data repository also known as Padu, will be used to provide data analytics for better-informed government decisions.
The system, already used for data verification, will be expanded to include the new service, dubbed analytics-as-a-service, to other government bodies from May this year, according to Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
“Without analytics, data alone is insufficient,” Akmal Nasrullah said. “This service supports agencies not just in verification but also in analysis and decision-making.”
Example use cases include assessing a borrower's repayment capability for government loans, or even broader policy analysis, such as ageing nation policies, he said.
Padu collates and integrates over 600 data points and covers 30.7 million individuals.
The system was conceptualised and launched by former economy minister Datuk Seri Mohd Rafizi Ramli in January 2024. The original plan was to use Padu to determine eligibility for the purchase of subsidised RON95 petrol.
Today, it is used for data verification requests from other government bodies.
“Padu enables identification of demographic and socio-economic patterns by location. This helps determine where and whether assistance is needed and what kind of policies are suitable,” he explained to the media after the Economy Ministry's monthly assembly here on Monday.
Between January and March this year, the government has approved 26 applications from agencies or departments for data verification.
On data security concerns, Akmal Nasrullah assured that data points shared with other government bodies are restricted to the specific data points.
For now, there will be no rounds of data updates from the public for Padu, he noted.
“Padu now functions as a back-end system, supporting front-end government services,” Akmal Nasrullah said, adding data is continuously updated through various agencies such as the National Registration Department.