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. The Mahalanobis distance, which played a crucial role in planning India’s strategy for industrialisation between 1956 to 1961, was formulated by PC Mahalanobis. 

PC Mahalanobis was born on June 29, 1893, in Kolkata, where he pursued his college education. In 1912, he graduated with a degree in Physics from Presidency College, after which he went to the University of Cambridge to study physics and mathematics. During this time, a tutor of his introduced him to statistics. PCMahalanobis returned to India after completing his course and became a professor at Presidency College. With his interest in statistics quickly growing, he found himself applying statistical methods to solve problems in biology, anthropology and meteorology. 

The Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata was established by him in 1931. In 1950, the Planning Commission was established to promote the social and economic development of India. PC Mahalanobis was a part of this from 1955 to 1967. During this time, his 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 first celebrated in 2007. This year the theme for the day is “Alignment of State Indicator Framework with National Indicator Framework for Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals”.