India Celebrates 19th Statistics Day Honoring Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis and 75 Years of National Sample Survey

 India, June 29, 2025 – India is marking its 19th Statistics Day today, honoring the birth anniversary of Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, widely regarded as the Father of Indian Statistics. The main celebration is being held at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi.

This year’s theme, “75 Years of National Sample Survey,” commemorates the significant role played by the National Sample Survey (NSS) since its inception in 1950 by Prof. Mahalanobis. Over the decades, the NSS has provided vital, large-scale data to support evidence-based policymaking and national development.

The event is organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). Rao Inderjit Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) of MoSPI, Planning, and Culture, is attending as the Chief Guest. The opening session also features Prof. Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar, Chairman of the National Statistical Commission, and Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary of MoSPI.

Key highlights of the day include the release of a Commemorative Coin and Customized My Stamp to mark 75 years of the NSS. MoSPI will also unveil several major publications, such as:

• Sustainable Development Goals – National Indicator Framework Progress Report 2025
• Nutritional Intake in India 2022-23 & 2023-24

In addition, the Ministry will launch the GoIStat mobile app, designed to make access to official statistics more user-friendly.

The event will see the presentation of the Prof. C.R. Rao National Award in Statistics, honoring exceptional contributions to the field, as well as felicitation of the winners of MoSPI’s Data Visualization Hackathon.

A technical session will follow, featuring a short film on the 75-year journey of NSS and a panel discussion on “Impact of Frontier Technologies on Official Statistics.” The session will explore how technologies like AI and big data are transforming statistical processes and decision-making.

Around 700 participants are expected to attend, including officials from Central Ministries, NITI Aayog, State and UT governments, international organizations, researchers, and domain experts, all emphasizing the critical role of statistics in India’s progress.