National Statistics Day

• 29 Jun 2020

Why in News

This year, the Statistics Day (29^th June) will be celebrated virtually, in view of the travel and safety advisories on account of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Key Points

• Every year, the Statistics Day is celebrated on 29^th June, the birth anniversary of Prof. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, to recognise his invaluable contribution in establishing the National Statistical System.
• Aim:
  
  • To popularise the use of statistics in everyday life and sensitise the public as to how statistics help in shaping and framing policies.
  • To raise public awareness, especially among the younger generation, about the role of statistics in socio-economic planning.
• Theme for 2020:
  
  • 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 carries forward the theme for 2019 which was ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.
• New Releases and Launch:
  
  • The updated version of the Report on Sustainable Development Goals-National Indicator Framework (NIF) Progress Report 2020 will be released during the event.
  • The Indian Statistical Services Cadre Management Portal will also be launched.
  • The winners of Prof. P C Mahalanobis National Award and Prof. P. V. Sukhatme Award 2020 will be declared during the event.
    
    • In 2019, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation instituted Prof. P C Mahalanobis National Award in official statistics for recognizing outstanding achievement of official statisticians in central government, state governments and institutions.
    • The Ministry also recognises the outstanding contribution for high-quality research work in the field of applied and theoretical statistics benefitting the official statistical system through the Prof. C R Rao and Prof. P V Sukhatme awards, awarded in alternate years.

Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1893-1972)

• He is considered the father of modern statistics in India, founded the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), shaped the Planning Commission (which was replaced by the NITI Aayog on 1^st January 2015) and pioneered methodologies for large-scale surveys.
  
  • He introduced innovative techniques for conducting large-scale sample surveys, calculated acreages and crop yields, using the method of random sampling.
  • He also devised a statistical method called ‘Fractile Graphical Analysis’, used to compare socio-economic conditions of varied groups.
• Timeline:
  
  • 1930: Proposed the Mahalanobis Distance for the first time, which is a measure of comparison between two data sets.
    
    • The formula is used to find the distance between a point and a distribution, based on measurements in multiple dimensions. It is widely used in the field of cluster analysis and classification.
  • 1932: Founded the ISI in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) which was declared as an institute of national importance in 1959.
  • 1933: Launched ‘Sankhya: The Indian Journal of Statistics’.
  • 1950: Established the National Sample Survey and set up the Central Statistical Organisation to coordinate statistical activities.
  • 1955: Became a member of the Planning Commission and continued in that capacity till 1967.
    
    • He was instrumental in formulating India’s second five-year-plan (1956-1961), which laid the blueprint for industrialisation and development in India.
  • 1968: Honoured with the Padma Vibhushan.
    
    • He was also conferred a large number of awards by international organisations.

Source: PIB