India observes National Statistics Day on the birth anniversary of PC Mahalanobis
Know all about National Statistics Day: The birth anniversary of PC Mahalanobis is observed as National Statistics Day. Often referred to as the 'father of Indian statistics', PC Mahalanobis, was born on June 29, 1893 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal. He was a key member of the first Planning Commission of independent India and a Padma Vibhushan awardee. The first National Statistics Day was observed on June 29, 2006. The day is dedicated to statistics in daily life and creating awareness among people on how statistics helps in framing policies.
The key contribution of PC Mahalanobis is known as "Mahalanobis distance'. 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.
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."
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."
PC Mahalanobis and immense contribution
With the objective of providing comprehensive socio-economic statistics, PC Mahalanobis had established the National Sample Survey in 1950. He had also set up the Central Statistical Organization to coordinate statistical activities in the country.
A few of his major works include, the introduction of techniques for conducting large-scale sample surveys. He is credited with calculating acreages and crop yields by using random sampling methods. PC Mahalanobis had also devised a statistical method, which could be used to compare the socio-economic situation of different groups of people. PC Mahalanobis was a pioneer in applying statistics to planning for flood control.