Which institution was founded by Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis?

Question

Which institution was founded by Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis?

1. A. Indian Economic Forum
2. B. Indian Statistical Institute (Correct answer)
3. C. Planning Commission
4. D. Reserve Bank of India

Correct Answer

Option B — Indian Statistical Institute

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Indian Statistical Institute.

Key Points

• Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis founded the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata in 1931, and it was recognised as an Institute of National Importance by an Act of Parliament in 1959.
• He did not found the other bodies listed: the Reserve Bank of India was established in 1935 under the RBI Act 1934 following the Hilton Young Commission, and the Planning Commission was set up by a government resolution in 1950.
• His connection to the Planning Commission is real but different — he was a member and the architect of its economic model, not its founder.

Additional Information

• Mahalanobis devised the Mahalanobis distance, a measure of the distance between a point and a distribution that remains fundamental in statistics and machine learning today.
• He designed the Mahalanobis Model underpinning India's Second Five Year Plan (1956–61), which prioritised heavy and capital-goods industry over consumer goods.
• He pioneered large-scale sample surveys, and the National Sample Survey (NSS), established in 1950, was his initiative.
• He is called the "Father of Indian Statistics", and his birthday, 29 June, is observed as National Statistics Day.