National Statistics Day is being observed on June 29, 2021. This day commemorate the birth anniversary of late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
Significance of the Day
June 29 has been selected to celebrate this day at national level to recognise Mahalanobis’ invaluable contribution in establishing National Statistical System.
2021 Theme
Theme of National Statistics Day 2021 is UN sustainable development goal 2 to “End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture”. It seeks “sustainable solutions to end hunger by 2030 and to achieve food security.
Who was Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis?
C. Mahalanobis is often referred to as ‘father of Indian statistics’. He was born on June 29, 1893 in Calcutta. He is best remembered for Mahalanobis distance which is a statistical measure. He was one of the members of first Planning Commission of India. He founded Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) and contributed to design of large-scale sample surveys.
Mahalanobis distance
This formula is used to find distance between a point and a distribution. It is based on measurements in multiple dimensions. This formula is widely used in field of cluster analysis and classification.
Significance of Statistics
Statistics is the discipline concerning collection, analysis, organization, interpretation, and presentation of data. Statistics is applied to a scientific, industrial, or social problem which start with studying a statistical population or statistical model. Statistics helps in formulating economic plans and policies. It presents facts in a precise form. It also plays a significant role in health field and helps conduct social surveys. It is a significant part of Mathematics.