Principal Secretary to PM addresses 20th Statistics Day

PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, attended the 20th Statistics Day celebrations as the chief guest. Addressing the 20th Statistics Day celebrations PK Mishra paid tribute to Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis on his birth anniversary, recalling his seminal contribution to building India’s statistical system and underscoring the enduring importance of robust statistics for informed governance. 

Congratulating the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on the release of its Vision Document 2026–31, the Progress Report on the Sustainable Development Goals, and the first city-level estimates of labour markets and informal enterprises, he also felicitated professor Arup Bose on receiving the Sukhatme National Award.

Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of data — driven governance and Viksit Bharat @2047, Mishra said, “This year’s Statistics Day theme, Unlocking the Potential of Administrative Data’ reflects a transformative step towards strengthening India’s statistical ecosystem and evidence-based policymaking” is very relevant and timely”.
Recalling India’s pioneering role in the field of statistics, Mishra said the country built one of the world’s finest survey-based statistical systems in the 1950s, with the National Sample Survey emerging as a globally acclaimed model that shaped research and policymaking across the developing world. 

On the occasion Mishra said the PMO acted as a catalyst and facilitator, enabling the Ministry of Statistics to leverage its institutional expertise and capabilities to build a stronger, more credible and future-ready statistical system. Outlining the way forward, Mishra said that as envisioned by PM Narendra Modi, the future of governance lies in data-driven decision-making.