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It has often been observed, the greatest achievements of creative minds are not most widely known. So is the case of Prasanta Chandra Mahanlanobis. He was the man who is remembered for his outlining of Second Five Year Plan which he submitted to the National Development Council in 1955.  He was conferred with the responsibility of Statistical advisor the cabinet.

He formulated a plan the meet the nation’s primary objective of providing employment through increased industrial production. He observed that production of steel determined the differences in the incomes across countries. He recommended huge investment in heavy industry which created steel cities of central and eastern India.  Though not being a trained economist, he approached to planning largely based on the prevailing views of the era.

His remarkable contribution was setting up of large scale survey, application of statistical theory to the existing Indian problems and created institutions which could carry on the work he began after his lifetime as well. He studied mathematics and physics at Cambridge and returned to India and began teaching at Presidency College, Calcutta. He employed statistical methods by starting a small statistical laboratory in the college. This laboratory evolved into Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). National Sample Survey (NSS), Central statistical Organisation were also founded by him.

In the country where less than 1/3^rd part is connected by paved roads, the unemployment, shortage of food supplies a complete study was required to find out the gravity of the problem. It was recognized that the investments undertaken by the country had not effectively eliminated poverty and political agendas as well as economic policies began to directly address rural backwardness.

The operational research approach to planning in India was the famous paper on which Mahanlanobis model was based. He was closely associated with Rabindranath Tagore as he was the earliest bibliographer of Tagore’s literary output.