Mahalanobis was also a member of the first Planning Commission of India and in 1950, he established the Indian Statistical Institute with a Statistical Laboratory setup
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National Statistics Day is celebrated every year on 29 June to mark the birth anniversary of late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. Professor Mahalanobis has an immense contribution to the fields of economic planning and statistical development in the post-independent era.
Statistics is considered a special part of Mathematics. It plays a key role in social development to calculate broad surveys. The surveys convey the current scenario of society and community. The day is celebrated to spread awareness among the youth of the country about the importance of Statistics in policy formulation and socio-economic planning.
History of National Statistics Day:
The Government of India decided to celebrate National Statistics Day to honour late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. Mahalanobis was born on 29 June 1893 in Calcutta and is known as the father of Indian statistics. Based on measurements in multiple dimensions, he invented a formula to find the distance between a point and a distribution which is called ‘Mahalanobis Distance’. The formula is widely used in the field of cluster analysis and classification.
Mahalanobis was also a member of the first Planning Commission of India. In 1950, he established the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) with a Statistical Laboratory set up. The first National Statistics Day was celebrated in 2007.
Significance of National Statistics Day:
National Statistics Day, designated by the government, is celebrated nationwide to recognise Mahalonobis’ invaluable contribution to founding the National Statistical System. The day educates public and inspire youngsters about the relevance of statistics in the development of a country.
On the day, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) felicitates the best research works and also recognises some young talents in the field of statistics. The special ceremony is chaired by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning, Rao Inderjit Singh. The names of the winners of Prof PC Mahalanobis National Award in Official Statistics are also announced on this day.
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