Today is the National Statistics Day, commemorating the birth of P C Mahalanobis, FRS the founder of Indian Statistical Institute, who had contributed immensely for the development of statistics globally and in particular, in India. Professor Mahalanobis was President of International Statistical Institute in 1957, Chairman of United Nations Statistical Commission during 1954–58, and was associated with many other international fora.
Today’s topic of crowdfunding for community development finance is an important and topical one, and I want to thank you all for helping us think through the challenges and opportunities presented by this new technology as it relates to raising funds for local communities. This gathering is particularly timely for two reasons.