Why is the new Indian Statistical Institute Bill drawing criticism? | Explained
The Indian government has introduced the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026, to modernize the governance of the ISI. The proposed changes aim to shift the institute from a society-based model to a more centralized structure similar to the IITs and IIMs, sparking debate among faculty and members.
Why it matters
The bill impacts the autonomy and administrative structure of one of India's most prestigious research institutions, potentially altering its long-standing academic culture.
The government has tabled a new Bill in Parliament, called the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 , which will replace its approximately 67-year-old predecessor that was enacted in 1959. While seemingly innocuous, several of the provisions of the Bill have become contentious, with several faculty members of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) and MPs protesting against it.
In the 1920s, India’s greatest statistician P.C. Mahalanobis set up the Statistical Laboratory in the Presidency College in Kolkata. On December 17, 1931, he founded the Indian Statistical Institute as a “learned society” housed in the Statistical Laboratory. The Institute was registered on April 28, 1932, as a non-profit distributing learned society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 and is now registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act of 1961 amended in 1964.
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