Indian Statistical Institute autonomy under threat? Govt bill's proposals, concerns of staff and faculty explained
A protest march was held on the ISI's Kolkata campus last year when the draft bill was first published. Students, members of the faculty, and staff had then requested the government not to proceed with the reforms without due consultation.
The Indian government recently introduced the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha, almost a year after its draft was made available for public comment. The legislation aims to transition the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) from a society to a body corporate, while preserving its status as an Institution of National Importance. Critics within the institute argue that the bill threatens its autonomy.
The bill proposes to repeal the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959, and replace it with a new law that will expand the statutory definition of statistical sciences to include fields such as mathematics, economics, data science, computer science, and other quantitative disciplines. The President will act as the institute's visitor, while a newly formed Board of Governors, headed by an expert from academia, industry, public policy, or statistical sciences, will oversee administrative and policy decisions.
The board will be composed of members from the full-time faculty and professors, ensuring that the institute's academic leadership remains intact. The legal reform is seen as necessary to address the evolving needs of India's growing and data-driven economy, fostering an ecosystem of high-quality statisticians and data scientists to support evidence-based decision-making and drive innovation in various sectors, including fintech, agriculture, healthcare, and logistics.
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