The celebration of Statistics Day this year will be observed virtually, due to the ongoing global pandemic, COVID-19. This day is held annually on June 29th, in honour of Prof. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis whose significant contributions to the National Statistical System have not gone unnoticed.
Annual Celebration and Aims
Statistics Day is marked on Prof. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis’s birth anniversary every year. It is a day dedicated to recognising his exceptional contribution towards establishing India’s National Statistical System. The objective of celebrating this occasion is to highlight the import of statistics in everyday life and raising public consciousness about how it helps in developing and formulating policies. The day also aims at promoting awareness, particularly within the younger generation, about the role that statistics play in socio-economic planning.
Theme for 2020:
With the theme for this year being ‘SDG-3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’ and ‘SDG-5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’, it follows on from 2019’s theme which was centred around ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.
New Releases and Launch:
During the event, the updated version of the Report on Sustainable Development Goals-National Indicator Framework (NIF) Progress Report 2020 will be released. Additionally, the Indian Statistical Services Cadre Management Portal is set to be launched. This event will also see the winners of the Prof. P C Mahalanobis National Award and the Prof. P. V. Sukhatme Award 2020 announced.
In 2019, both these awards were instituted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with the aim of recognising remarkable achievements of official statisticians in central government, state governments, and other institutions. High-quality research work in the field of applied and theoretical statistics, which benefit the official statistical system, are recognised by the Ministry through the Prof. C R Rao and Prof. P V Sukhatme awards. These awards are given out alternately each year.
Contributions by Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1893-1972):
Known as the father of modern statistics in India, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis was a respected figure who founded the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), influenced the Planning Commission (which was replaced by the NITI Aayog on January 1st, 2015) and developed methodologies for comprehensive surveys. His innovative techniques for conducting extensive sample surveys and calculation of acreages and crop yields using the method of random sampling made him a standout figure in his field.
Mahalanobis also introduced a statistical method known as ‘Fractile Graphical Analysis’, which was employed to compare socioeconomic conditions across different groups. It was in 1930 that he first proposed the Mahalanobis Distance, a comparison measure between two data sets. This formula, used to determine the distance between a point and a distribution based on measurements in multiple dimensions, has since become vital in the fields of cluster analysis and classification.
In 1932, Mahalanobis established the ISI in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) which later in 1959, was declared as a national institute of importance. The following year, he presented ‘Sankhya: The Indian Journal of Statistics’. In 1950, he set up the National Sample Survey and established the Central Statistical Organisation for coordination of statistical activities.
Mahalanobis became a member of the Planning Commission in 1955 and held this position till 1967. He played a crucial part in formulating India’s second five-year-plan (1956-1961) which established the roadmap for industrialisation and development in India. He was bestowed with the Padma Vibhushan in 1968 and received numerous awards from international organisations.
The legacy and contributions of Mahalanobis continue to profoundly influence statistical systems both in India and globally. Statistics Day serves as a day to acknowledge his achievements and raise awareness about the vital role of statistics in our day-to-day lives.
Last Modified: February 7, 2024