19th Statistics Day and Contribution of PC Mahalanobis | 30 Jun 2025

Source: PIB 

Why in News? 

The 19^th Statistics Day was celebrated on 29^th June, marking the 132^nd birth anniversary of Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, with the theme ‘75 Years of National Sample Survey’, highlighting NSS's key role in strengthening India’s statistical system. 

• To commemorate 75 years of NSS, the government launched the GoIStat app, conferred the 2025 Prof. C.R. Rao Award to Dr Prajamitra Bhuyan for excellence in statistics, and released the SDG National Indicator Framework Progress Report, 2025. 

What is National Statistics Day and Contribution of PC Mahalanobis? 

• About National Statistics Day: Initiated by the Government of India in 2007, National Statistics Day is observed on June 29 to honour Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and raise awareness about the role of statistics in policy-making, development, and governance. 
• About PC Mahalanobis: PC Mahalanobis (1893–1972) was an eminent Indian scientist and statistician, born in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata). His key contributions are: 
  • Mahalanobis Distance: It is a way to measure how far a point is from the average in multi-dimensional data.  
    • E.g., in face recognition, it helps check if a new face matches a known person by seeing how far it is from the average face. 
  • Indian Statistical Institute: Established in 1931 in Kolkata, it became a global hub for statistics, economics, and data science. 
    • He also founded Sankhya, the first Indian statistical journal, in 1933. 
  • Second Five-Year Plan (1956–61): In 1955, PC Mahalanobis was appointed to the Planning Commission by Prime Minister Nehru and advised on industrialization, emphasizing heavy industries through the Mahalanobis Model. 
  • National Sample Survey: It was launched in 1950 based on the recommendation of Professor P. C. Mahalanobis, then Statistical Adviser to the Cabinet. 
  • Feldman-Mahalanobis Model: An economic growth strategy adopted by developing nations. It prioritises investment in heavy industries (like steel, machinery, and capital goods) to create a strong industrial base for long-term self-reliance. 
• About National Sample Survey: Since 1950, the former National Sample Survey Organisation (now National Statistical Office) has conducted large-scale sample surveys across India, typically in year-long rounds.  
  • It collects data through nationwide household surveys, the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), rural and urban prices, and supports crop statistics by supervising area and crop estimation surveys.  
  • It also maintains a sampling frame for urban surveys. 
• About MoSPI: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) was established as an independent ministry on 15th October 1999, following the merger of the Department of Statistics and the Department of Programme Implementation. The Ministry has two wings, namely, Statistics and Programme Implementation. 
  • The Statistics Wing, known as the National Statistical Office (NSO), includes the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). 
  • The Programme Implementation (PI) Wing consists of three divisions i.e., Central Twenty Point Programme (TPP), Infrastructure and Project Monitoring (IPM), and Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). 
  • Additionally, the ministry oversees the National Statistical Commission (NSC), established by a Government Resolution, and an autonomous institute—Indian Statistical Institute (ISI)—declared an Institute of National Importance by an Act of Parliament.