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The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) was founded in 1931 by Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (PCM), the father of statistics in India, and registered as a Society in 1932 with its headquarters in Kolkata.

Under PCM’s leadership, ISI made landmark contributions to statistics, mathematics, economics and computer science. Large-scale survey sampling was developed here, leading to the creation of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). Stalwarts such as C.R. Rao, R.R. Bahadur, R.C. Bose, S.N. Roy and J.K. Ghosh reshaped mathematical statistics. ISI pioneered electronic computers in India.

Parliament recognised these contributions through the ISI Act of 1959, declaring ISI an Institution of National Importance and enabling the launch of the now-celebrated BStat (Hons) and MStat programmes. A Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 3, 2026 seeks to repeal this Act.

Did any ISI Review Committee ask for the repeal and abolition of the society?

Under the 1959 Act, the activities of ISI are periodically reviewed by a committee constituted by the government. The Fourth Review Committee (RC4) was notified in January 2020. The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the 2026 Bill invokes this Committee’s Report to justify legal reform. The RC4’s Terms of Reference mandated it to consider the 1959 Act and the Memorandum of Association. The Committee examined the Act but did not recommend its repeal. It recommended only two amendments: widening the subjects in which ISI may award degrees and reforming its audit arrangements.

The Bill converts ISI from a registered Society into a statutory body corporate. The Report suggested nothing of the kind. It proposed a smaller Council while retaining the Society and recommending two elected Society representatives on the Council. None of the four Review Committees recommended abolition of the Society; rather, they recommended strengthening it. Yet a leading national business daily, Business Standard, quoted the Secretary, Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, on August 5, describing the purpose of the Bill as ending the sway of the Society.

The same daily quoted the Secretary about a July 2025 meeting with about 40 experts as part of the pre-legislative consultative process. No such process is mentioned in the tabled or draft versions of the Bill. On December 24, 2025, following protests against the drafts, MoSPI published a FAQ referring to the July 2025 brainstorming session. On the same day, however, MoSPI, meeting in response to an RTI query,........

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