National Statistics Day is celebrated on June 29 on the birth anniversary of late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. Often referred to as the ‘father of Indian statistics’, Mahalanobis, was born on June 29, 1893, in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal.

PC Mahalanobis is best remembered for the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure and for being one of the members of the first Planning Commission of India. 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.

He founded the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) and contributed to the design of large-scale sample surveys. For his contributions, Mahalanobis has been considered the father of modern statistics in India.

The government, in a note on National Statistics Day celebrations said, “This year, due to Covid-19 pandemic, the main event of the Statistics Day, 2021 is being organized through Video Conferencing/ Webcasting at NITI Aayog, New Delhi.”

Significance of National Statistics Day

June 29 has been designated as one of the special days to be celebrated at the national level in recognition of Mahalonobis’ invaluable contribution in establishing the National Statistical System, the ministry of statistics and programme implementation said in a release.

Importance of statistics

Statistics helps in forming economic plans and policies. It presents facts in a precise and definitive form. Statistics plays a vital role in the health field and helps conduct social surveys. It is also an essential part of Mathematics.

2021 National Statistics Day Theme

End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture (Sustainable Developent Goal or SDG 2 of the UN) is the theme of this year’s National Statistics Day. Goal 2 seeks “sustainable solutions to end hunger in all its forms by 2030 and to achieve food security.”