National Statistics Day

Every year on June 29, India celebrates National Statistics Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of the late scientist and statistician, Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. PC Mahalanobis, popularly known as the Father of Indian Statistics, made several contributions to the field of statistics. Statistics is the mathematical study of data. It includes the collection, organization and presentation of data. 

PC Mahalanobis was born on June 29, 1893, in Kolkata, where he pursued his college education. After completing his higher education, PCMahalanobis became a professor at Presidency College, where he would apply statistical methods to solve problems in biology, anthropology and meteorology. 

The Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata was established by him in 1931. He was a part of the Planning Commission which was established to promote the social and economic development of India. His formula of Mahalanobis distance helped develop the industries in India. To encourage statistical projects in India, he developed the Central Statistical Organization in 1951. From 1947 to 1951, he was also the chairman of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Sampling. In 1949, he became the honorary statistical adviser to the government of India. For all his achievements and contributions, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1968. 

National Statistics Day was established in 2007 in India and has been celebrated every year since, as a tribute to PC Mahalanobis.