In recognition of the notable contributions made by Professor (late) Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the fields of statistics and economic planning, Government of India has designated June 29 every year, coinciding with his birth anniversary, as “Statistics Day” in the category of Special Days to be celebrated at the national level. The main objective of celebrating Statistics Day is creation of public awareness, especially among the younger generation, on the role and importance of statistics in socio-economic planning and policy formulation for development of the country.

Since 2007, Statistics Day is celebrated every year with a theme of contemporary national importance. The theme for Statistics Day, 2024 is "Use of data for decision-making". The concept of data driven decision making is important for making informed decisions in any field and it is one of the pre-requisites for better understanding of statistical information emanating from official statistics and for facilitating evidence-based decision making.

The main event of Statistics Day, 2024 is being organized at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt, and New Delhi. The Chief Guest of the event is Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Chairman, 16^th Finance Commission. Prof. Rajeeva Laxman Karandikar, Chairman, National Statistical Commission (NSC) and Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI are also scheduled to address the participants of the event. Moreover, senior officers of Central Ministries/Departments, State/UT Government, representatives of international organizations viz. World Bank, UN agencies, etc. and other stakeholders will also participate in the event. The event is also to be web-cast/live streamed through social media handles of the Ministry.

On this occasion, the winners of ‘On the Spot Essay Writing Competition, 2024’ for Post Graduate Students will be felicitated.

The Sustainable Development Goals- National Indicator Framework Progress Report, 2024 is also scheduled to be released during the event. Along with the report, Data Snapshot on Sustainable Development Goals- National Indicator Framework, 2024 and Sustainable Development Goals- National Indicator Framework, 2024 will also be released.

Recognizing the need of effective and efficient dissemination of official statistics to the users, MoSPI has been working on developing a data portal called eSankhyiki for official statistics, having time series data of important macro indicators and the catalogue of data assets of the Ministry. The eSankhyiki portal and Central Data Repository is also scheduled to be launched during the event.

During the technical session of the event, experts/speakers will give brief presentations/address on the theme.

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PK/SB/DP