Home  /  Daily Current Affairs  /  29-06-2021 / National Statistics Day

National Statistics Day

Posted on June 29, 2021 by admin1  48

In News

“National Statistics Day” is celebrated on 29th June each year.

About

  • The day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Professor Prasanta Chandra (PC) Mahalanobis. 
  • Theme, 2021: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)- 2 (End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture).

Significance of the Day

  • To popularise the use of Statistics in everyday life and sensitise the public as to how Statistics helps in shaping and framing policies.
  • On this occasion, the Ministry of Statistics and Plan Implementation (MoSPI) also recognizes the outstanding contribution for high quality research work in the field of applied and theoretical statistics benefiting the official statistical system. 
  • 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. 

Importance of Statistics

  • Statistics help in forming economic plans and policies. 
  • It presents facts in a precise and definitive form. 
  • Statistics plays a vital role in the health field and helps conduct social surveys. 
  • It is also an essential part of Mathematics.

P C Mahalanobis

  • Often referred to as the ‘father of Indian statistics’, Mahalanobis, was born on June 29, 1893, in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal.
  • He is remembered for being one of the members of the first Planning Commission of free India.
  • Contributions:
    • Founded the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).
    • His most important contributions are related to large-scale sample surveys. He introduced the concept of pilot surveys and advocated the usefulness of sampling methods.
    • His variant of Wassily Leontief’s Input-output model, the Mahalanobis model, was employed in the Second Five Year Plan, which worked towards the rapid industrialisation of India. 
    • PC Mahalanobis is best remembered for the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical measure used to find the distance between a point and a distribution, based on measurements in multiple dimensions. 
    • He encouraged a project to assess deindustrialization in India and correct some previous census methodology errors and entrusted this project to Daniel Thorner.
    • He introduced a method for estimating crop yields which involved statisticians sampling in the fields by cutting crops in a circle of diameter 4 feet.
    • Launched ‘Sankhya: The Indian Journal of Statistics’.
  • Achievements:
    • He received India’s second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan from the Government of India for his contribution to science and services to the country.In the 1950s, Mahalanobis played a critical role in the campaign to bring India its first digital computers.
    • He served as secretary to Rabindranath Tagore and also worked at Visva-Bharati University, for some time. 

Source: PIB

 
Previous article Multi-Drug Resistance (MDR)
Next article Facts in News

Other News of the Day

Facts in News Sea Breeze 2021 Ukraine and the United States have launched a military exercise involving more than 30 countries in the Black Sea and southern Ukraine, despite Russian calls to cancel the drills. The drills follow a rise in tensions between NATO and Russia. Sea Breeze exercise is the largest exercise since 1997....
Read More

In News The famous Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannath has begun after the elevation of covid-19 imposed lockdown. Snana Yatra is a ceremonial grand shower festival celebrated on the Purnima (full moon day) of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha. Jagannath Puri Temple About Located in State of Odisha. Built in: 12th Century AD by King...
Read More

In News The tenure of Attorney General K.K. Venugopal is extended by the the government for a period of one more year with effect from July 1. About This is the second time the Centre has extended his tenure. He received his first extension of term in 2020. He was the the 15th Attorney General...
Read More

In News The United Nations commemorates 27th June as World Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Day. About History: The United Nations (UN) designated this day as Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day through a resolution passed in the UN General Assembly in April 2017. In May 2017, a program titled 'Enhancing National Capacities for...
Read More

In News The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft Corporation to start a pilot project in 100 villages of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.  About The MoU requires Microsoft to create a ‘Unified Farmer Service Interface’ through its cloud computing...
Read More