29 June: National Statistics Day

National Statistics Day is observed every year on 29 June to popularize use of Statistics in everyday life and sensitize public as to how Statistics helps in shaping and framing policies. 2019 is the 13th edition of National Statistics Day.

About National Statistics Day

Objective: To create public awareness among people about importance of statistics in daily life and in process of planning and development.

Theme for 2019 National Statistics Day- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Why 29 June?

NSD is celebrated annually on occasion of Birth anniversary of India’s eminent statistician, Late Prof Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, in recognition of his invaluable contribution in establishing National Statistical System. The day also commemorates contributions made by Mahalanobis in fields of statistics and economic planning.

Celebrations: To mark the occasion a series of events have been planned across India. Winner of Prof. C R Rao Award 2019 for notable contribution in field of Statistics was felicitated during the program on occasion of day held in New Delhi. Also winners of All India level ‘On the Spot Essay Writing Competition’ for Post Graduate Students on subject relevant to Statistics organized at were also felicitated.

About PC Mahalanobis

He was an Indian scientist and applied statistician who lived from 29 June 1893 to 28 June 1972. He became 1st Indian statistician to receive world recognition and is called as Father of Indian Statistics.

He is also referred as chief architect of Indian statistical system.

Establishments:

In 1931 he established Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata and contributed to design of large-scale sample surveys. In 1933 institute founded journal Sankhya, 1st Indian statistical journal, along the lines of Karl Pearson’s Biometrika. In 1959 ISI was made an autonomous body of Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoS&PI).

After 1947 (Post-independence), he served as the honorary statistical adviser to cabinet and helped in establishment of Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the National Sample Survey (NSS) and the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI).

He had made pioneering studies in anthropometry India but in 1936 he introduced statistical measure called Mahalanobis distance, widely used in cluster analysis and classification techniques for which he is widely known.

He was also a member of the 1st Planning commission (1951-56) of free India. The II Five Year Plan (1957-62) relied on Mahalanobis’s mathematical description of Indian economy and this plan encouraged development of heavy industry in India and later came to be known as Basic Industry strategy of economic Growth or Nehru-Mahalanobis Model.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2019