By: Rizwan Yousuf
National statistics day is celebrated on 29th June every year and it is celebrated in the honour of the outstanding contribution made by late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the field of statistics. This also marks his birth anniversary.
Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis was an Indian statistician. He devised the Mahalanobis distance and in the second Five-Year plan after India became independent, he was instrumental in formulating India’s strategy for industrialisation. He also established the Indian Statistical institute in Calcutta on 17 December, 1931 and played a key role in policy formulation and socio-economic planning. Every year, one particular theme of current national importance is chosen for focused discussions towards improvements in statistical systems of the area and filling the Data Gaps.
The theme of Statistics Day, 2021 is “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-2: End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and promote Sustainable Agriculture”. The Day is celebrated by holding seminars, discussions and competitions to highlights the importance of statistics in national development. On this occasion, MoSPI also recognizes the outstanding contribution for high quality research work in the field of applied and theoretical statistics benefiting the official statistical system. National statistics day is celebrated to popularise the use of Statistics in daily life and also make people understand how statistics help on shaping and framing the policies. It presents facts in a precise and definitive form. Statistics plays a vital role in the health field. Statistics helps conduct social surveys. Statistics is also an essential part of Mathematics. The government has been celebrating Statistics Day to popularise the use of statistics in our daily lives. Many people do not know the importance of statistics; however, it is actually of utmost importance. It shapes and frames policies. Due to COVID-19 Pandemic, this year National statistics day is celebrated virtually,
The writer is a Research Scholar (SKUAST JAMMU). (rizwanwar50@gmail.com)
