National Statistics Day observed in Shillong

SHILLONG: National Statistics Day, commemorating the birth anniversary of the ‘Father of Indian Statistical System’, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, was observed by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) in collaboration with St Anthony’s College at the institute’s auditorium in Shillong on Saturday. The theme for this year was ‘Use of Data for Decision Making’.
In his speech, SK Jha, head of the department of Statistics at North Eastern Hill University, emphasised the objective of celebrating the day with aims to popularise and raise awareness of the importance of statistics. “Data is entropic in nature in its raw form. By organising the data, we create a database that facilitates summarising and filtering,” he said.
Fr Arcadius Puwein, principal of St Anthony’s College, highlighted the invaluable contributions of Prof PC Mahalanobis and their impact on large-scale data collection during his inaugural address. He stressed the importance of data in contemporary decision-making processes.
In his address, N Mohondas Singh, director and regional head of NSSO, Shillong, briefed the audience on the life of Prof Mahalanobis and emphasised the importance of data-driven decision-making. “Decisions made based on hard evidence rather than assumptions reduce risks and biases, fostering a culture of accountability and transparency,” he said.