National Statistics Day 2021: The day makes people understand how Statistics help in shaping and framing the policies. Due to COVID-19 pandemic this year also the main event of the Day is being organized through Video Conferencing/ Webcasting at NITI Aayog, New Delhi.
The Chief Guest of the event is Rao Inderjit Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) and Ministry of Planning.
National Statistics Day 2021: Theme
The theme of National Statistics Day 2021 is Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-2: End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture.
The theme of National Statistics Day 2020 was SDG- 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) & SDG- 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls).
In 2019 the theme of Statistics Day was “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.
National Statistics Day: History
The Government of India decided to celebrate National Statistics Day on the outstanding contribution made by Late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the field of economic planning and statistics and therefore National Statistics Day mark his birth anniversary. Notification to this effect was published in the Gazette of India on June 05, 2007.
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National Statistics Day 2021: Celebration
The National Statistics Day event will be chaired by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Ministry of Planning, Rao Inderjit Singh. He is the Chief Guest. Prof. Bimal Kumar Roy, Chairman, National Statistical Commission (NSC); Dr. G. P. Samanta, Chief Statistician of India & Secretary, MoSPI; Prof. Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Director, Indian Statistical Institute; Mr. Pietro Gennari, Chief Statistician, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Ms. Renata Lok-Dessallien, UN Resident Coordinator, is also scheduled to address the participants on the occasion.
During the event the Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis National Award winner, 2021 will be felicitated. During the event, this year, the winners of Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis National Award in Official Statistics, 2021 and Prof C. R. Rao National Award for Young Statistician, 2021 will be announced.
The winners of the ‘On the Spot Essay Writing Competition, 2021’ for Post Graduate Students on the subject relevant to statistics organized at the All India level will also be felicitated.
About Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis or P.C. Mahalanobis was born on 29 June, 1893, Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. He died on 28 June, 1972 in Calcutta. He was an Indian statistician. He devised the Mahalanobis distance and in the Second Five-Year Plan, he was instrumental in formulating India's strategy for industrialisation. He established the Indian Statistical Institute in Calcutta on 17 December, 1931.
He also devised a measure of comparison between two data sets and now it is known as the Mahalanobis distance. He invented techniques for conducting large-scale sample surveys and calculated acreages and crop yields by using a method of random sampling. He also generated a statistical method known as fractile graphical analysis to compare the socioeconomic conditions of different groups of people. For flood control, he also applied statistics to economic planning.
No doubt, it is expected that the event will raise awareness in people mainly among the younger generation, about the role of Statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation.
Source: pib