Prof Mahalnobis accorded a respectable place to statistics in India. However, in the last 50 years, India has not kept pace with statistical methodology and availability of timely data. It has not been sufficiently realised what significance this has. Policymakers earlier made policies without using data, but now they use data willingly. However, the statistical system in India is not in sync. Those who need data rely on private players such as Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The data from programme implementation ministry comes after a time lag. — dated by several months and at times a year. The delay means that data becomes irrelevant to policymakers. The first priority should be to reduce the time gap as much as possible.

Despite the best efforts, there are limitations — there is volatility in the estimates in the statistical exercise. We cannot jump to conclusions by just looking at the data. Volatility could be injected in the estimate due to sampling. Statistical estimates are not the whole truth. They are the best estimates or guesses of the truth.

There is lack of trained statisticians. There are a few scholars who do PhD. in statistics. They do move to private, industry as the remuneration is lucrative. Very few remain in academics and government job.

In data science post-graduate courses, some statistics is taught along with mathematics and computing. This is what the industry needs.