The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Bill, 2026 aims to give greater autonomy to the Board of Governor and curb that of the Society, a senior government official said here on Wednesday. This will ensure ISI to excel as a globally recognised centre in Statistical Science and allied fields.
This clarification has come on a day when members of the ISI community opposed the Bill saying the proposed law will dilute autonomy and also lead to interference by the Centre in its day-to-day functioning. On Monday, Students, faculty members, and staff at the Kolkata campus held a protest against the Bill. They urged the Centre not to proceed with the Bill without wider consultations.
Government officials noted that under the Indian Statistical Institute Act of 1959, the institute continues to function as a society. The General Body, with about 1800 members (largely current and former employees of the institute), heads the society. Membership is open on payment of a nominal fee. “Changes in the Memorandum of Association, regulations and bye-laws require approval of 3/4th of voting members of the general body, but hardly 150-200 members attend the meeting, and this affects reforms,” a senior official said.
Further, present governing council has 33 members, out of which 17 are internal. The official noted that internal disputes and vested interests are dragging down the institute’s operations and stalling key decisions. Keeping this in mind, the bill has suggested trimming the size of the council by 1/3rd to 11. Four members will be internal; two will be government nominees, while four will be external.
“These external members will be eminent persons in the field of Statistical Sciences and allied fields and will nominated by the Chairperson based on search cum selection panel,” the official explained when asked about government intervention. At present, all the students get stipend and fee waiver. The official said that the Board of Governors might consider changing the system.
Furthermore, the Bill will enable the institute to set up centres and campuses in India and abroad to expand its academic and research reach. It will also promote each of the centres to become centre of excellence on its own by focussing on specialised areas such as Applied Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Economic Statistics, Data Sciences, AI, Cryptology, Biostatistics etc.
The Bill, introduced on Monday seeks to replace the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959, under which the ISI was declared an institution of national importance, arguing that the existing law is too limited to meet the needs of a data-driven economy. It proposes to convert the institute, currently registered as a society under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, into a statutory body corporate with a new governance structure, greater financial flexibility and enhanced accountability.
Key changes
Among the key changes is the creation of a Board of Governors as the principal policy-making body, alongside an Academic Council, Management Councils for individual centres and a Finance Committee. The President of India will serve as the Visitor of the Institute.
The ISI in Kolkata was set up by eminent statistician PC Mahalanobis in 1931. It was registered as society. In 1959, it was declared an institute of national importance through an Act of Parliament, giving it the power to grant degrees and making it eligible for Central grants and audits. However, it continued as a society.
Published on August 5, 2026
