Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu will attend closing ceremony of year long celebrations of 125^th birth anniversary of Professor P. C. Mahalanobis on Statistics Day.

In recognition of the notable contributions made by Late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the fields of statistics, statistical system and economic planning, Government of India in 2007, has designated 29^thJune as the “Statistics Day” in the category of Special Days to be celebrated every year at the National level.

29^th June, 2017 marked the beginning of the 125^th year of birth of Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis. ISI has held year-round celebrations which will be culminated on 29^th June, 2018. 

 The objective of celebration of this Day is to create public awareness about the importance of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation, to acknowledge the contribution of Prof. Mahalanobis, and to pay homage to him. Every year, one particular theme of current national importance is selected for focused discussions and efforts through out the year aimed at bringing about improvements in the selected area. The theme selected for the Statistics Day this year is ‘‘Quality Assurance in Official Statistics’. The theme has been chosen to underscore the importance of compliance with essential parameters of quality in statistical systems and products. The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) at Kolkata, set up by Prof. Mahalanobis in 1931, and was declared an autonomous “Institute of National Importance” through an act of Parliament in 1959,  celebrates 29^th June as the “Worker Day”.

Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation and ISI are having a joint event on 29^th June, 2018 at Kolkata to celebrate the Statistics Day and the closing ceremony of the 125^th birth of Prof. P. C. Mahalanobis.

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu ,  Vice President of India will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest.  Other dignitaries who will participate in the event include Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi, Governor of West Bengal, Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda,  Union Minister for Statistics & Programme Implementation, Dr. Vijay Kelkar, President, ISI and Prof. Goverdhan Mehta, Chairman, ISI Council.

 On the occasion, Vice President of India will release a commemorative coin of ₹ 125 and circulation coin of ₹ 5 denomination as a mark of respect/homage to Prof. Mahalanobis. The winners of Prof. P.V. Sukhatme Award 2018 and Prof. C.R. Rao Award 2017, will also be felicitated for their notable contribution in the field of Statistics.

Statistics Day Celebrations will also be held throughout the country by the field offices of National Sample Survey Office, State Governments and Universities/Departments by organizing Seminars, Conferences, Debates, Quiz Programmes, Lectures, Essay Competitions, etc.

Designation of Statistics Day promotes quality assurance in official statistics through national celebrations and initiatives. The Government designated 29 June as Statistics Day to institutionalise an annual national observance recognising Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis and promoting the role of statistics in socio economic planning; the 2018 celebration focused on Quality Assurance in Official Statistics through a joint event, nationwide activities, awards, and issuance of commemorative and circulation coins.