Indian Statistical Institute autonomy under threat? Govt bill's proposals, concerns of staff and faculty explained
The central government on Monday tabled the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, almost one year after its draft version was made
The central government on Monday tabled the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, almost one year after its draft version was made public for feedback. However, this move by the government has triggered criticism from within the Kolkata-based institute, which says that the centre is trying to curb the autonomy of the institute. A protest march was held in the Kolkata campus of the ISI last year when the draft bill was first published. Then, students, members of the faculty, as well staff had requested the government to not proceed with the reforms without due consultations. History and current way of ISI's functioning The Indian Statistical Institute was founded in 1931 by eminent statistician PC Mohalnobis. The institute started as the Presidency College's statistical laboratory and was eventually registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 and then under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act of 1961. It was declared an Institute of Importance in 1959, which gave it the power to award degrees and also made it eligible for grants and audits of the central government.
But unlike the IITs and IIMs, the ISI continued to function as a society. The institute is based in Kolkata, but has centres in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Tezpur. It offers a number of courses in the fields of mathematics and statistics, and also has a number of research divisions. The highest decision-making body of the ISI is its 33-member council, which is headed by an elected chairman. The body also consists of six representatives of the central government and scientists who do not work at the ISI. The central government representatives are appointed from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the Ministry of Finance, and the Reserve Bank of India. The council appoints the director, who is the institute's academic and administrative head. What are the reforms the central government is proposing? The Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister Rao Indrajit Singh. The bill proposes to repeal and replace the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959 while preserving the institute's designation as an Institution of Importance.
The legislation aims at transitioning the existing society into a body corporate which will continue to remain autonomous. The legislation expands the statutory definition of Statistical Sciences and it includes "the fields of theoretical and applied statistics, mathematics, economics, data science, computer science and other quantitative sciences including biology, physics and earth sciences; and such other allied fields including quantitative social sciences and modern technologies, such as cryptology and other related disciplines as may be specified by the regulations." Also Read | Over 200 academics criticise Priyanka Gandhi over 'gaumutra' remark The President will be acting as the institute's visitor under the proposed law while administrative and policy decisions will be taken by the newly formed Board of Governors, which will be headed by an expert from the field of academia, industry, public policy, or statistical sciences. The bill also proposes an Academic Council for the ISI, which will serve as the principal academic body of the institute and will have as its head the director while its members will comprise of all full-time faculty members and professors.
The BriefWire