India’s huge footprint in global statistical arena
Recently, the Indian statistical community had at least two reasons to rejoice. Indian-American statistician Prof CR Rao was awarded the prestigious International Prize in Statistics, which is given to an individual or team every two years “for major achievements using statistics to advance science, technology and human welfare.” This is undoubtedly a recognition of Rao’s decades-old contribution to statistical theories.
The other achievement is that India has been elected to the United Nations Statistical Commission (StatCom). This is the domain of official statistics or statistics in practice. The country is returning to the UN agency in the policymaking and oversight capacity after almost two decades.
StatCom, established in 1947, is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It oversees the work of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and brings together statisticians from all over the world to work towards one objective: promoting the development of statistical information for making a contribution to public policy and private action. India has been elected by the ECOSOC as a member of the Statistical Commission, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), an important subsidiary body of the UN organ focused on economic, social and environmental issues.
Stuart Arthur Rice, a leading American social scientist and statistician, was the founding father of StatCom. Rice chaired the ‘nuclear session’ in May 1946 at Hunter College in New York that recommended the composition and terms of a permanent commission on statistics and for a statistical organisation within the UN. The first three sessions of StatCom were chaired by Canadian Herbert Marshall during 1947-48. The report of the third session (1948) states the goal of the commission — to “contribute to the efforts of the United Nations to organise the world for peace by furthering the creation of a world statistical system.”
StatCom, the highest decision-making body for international statistical activities, is responsible for setting statistical standards and the development of concepts and methods, including their implementation at the national and international levels. It brings together the chief statisticians from member states worldwide — 24 members, altogether. During the past 76 years, the commission has been led by a chief statistician from across the world.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently tweeted that India’s “expertise in the field of statistics, diversity and demography has earned it a seat on the UN Statistical Commission.”
India’s rich statistical heritage owes a lot to Prof PC Mahalanobis, known as the ‘Plan Man’ of India. He pioneered statistics in the country and founded the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). Mahalanobis, doyen of the modern Indian statistical system, was the architect of India’s Second Five-Year Plan and also instrumental in founding the National Sample Survey Organisation as well as the Central Statistical Organisation.
India’s previous footprint at StatCom has been largely due to Mahalanobis, who was at his peak during the commission’s formative period. Mahalanobis has the unparalleled record of attending all StatCom sessions during his lifetime — starting from the ‘nuclear session’ in 1946 to the 16th session in 1970 — and serving it in a variety of roles, including member, rapporteur, vice-chair, and finally the Chair in the 8th and 9th sessions in 1954 and 1956, respectively. In those years, he made a ground-breaking contribution. In April 1946, Mahalanobis wrote to the UN Secretary General, suggesting that a UN Sub-Commission on Sampling “would be of great help in promoting the improvement of statistics, especially in backward regions.” And such a sub-commission was created accordingly. Later, he chaired this sub-commission. Its Recommendations for the Preparation of Sample Survey Report (1947) paved the way for the application of sample surveys to various fields of official statistics.
Mahalanobis and Rice played a key role in promoting the International Programme for Education in Statistics, particularly in “those countries which do not possess the present or potential resources of trained personnel”, as mentioned by Indian Statistical Institute’s (ISI) Prof TJ Rao in a research article. Based on a UN survey on education needs, whose report he edited, Mahalanobis suggested that such an organisation should be formed for Asian countries or for India and its neighbourhood. The International Statistical Education Centre (ISEC), founded in Calcutta in 1950, is now jointly operated by the ISI and the Union Government.
Mahalanobis passed away in 1972. In a resolution at its 17th session that year, the commission expressed its condolences, “remembering his pioneering efforts on behalf of social statistics, remembering him as a champion of statistical needs of the developing countries, remembering the outstanding stimulus he gave to statistical development throughout the entire world….” It remembered “his effectiveness in reconciling differences in the views between members of the Commission.”
Later, Vakkalanka R Rao, a classmate of CR Rao and a pioneer in electronic data processing, chaired StatCom’s 19th session in 1976. This was StatCom’s sole meeting outside of a UN duty station, and it took place in New Delhi. The back cover page of the booklet for StatCom’s 70th anniversary celebrations featured a picture of the attendees of the 1976 session in front of the Taj Mahal.
Thus, India has had a glorious statistical past and made a significant contribution to StatCom. If India regains that place in the global statistical arena, it would be laudable. India has a statistical tradition — thanks to Mahalanobis’ great effort — and expertise to dominate the world. Returning to the mainstream of the UN’s statistical activities is a step in the right direction.
