Draft ISI Bill 2025

WHY IN NEWS ?

• On September 25, 2025, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Draft Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2025.
• The Bill seeks to:
  • Convert ISI from a “registered society” into a “statutory body corporate”.
• The move triggered:
  • Protests by students and faculty
  • Opposition by political parties (TMC, CPI-M)
  • A letter by D. Ravikumar demanding withdrawal.

Relevance

GS Paper II – Polity, Governance & Federalism

• Autonomy of Institutions of National Importance
• Statutory bodies vs registered societies
• Centre–State relations and cooperative federalism
• Accountability vs independence dilemma

WHAT IS THE INDIAN STATISTICAL INSTITUTE (ISI)?

• Founded in December 1931, Kolkata by P.C. Mahalanobis.
• Registered originally under:
  • Societies Registration Act, 1860
  • Later under West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961.
• Declared an Institution of National Importance (INI) under:
  • Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959
• Academic spread:
  • ~1,200 students
  • 6 centres across India
  • Disciplines: Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Operations Research, Cryptology, Quality Management.

ISI’S STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE TO INDIA

• Backbone of India’s statistical governance architecture.
• Birthplace of:
  • National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) → foundation of India’s official data ecosystem.
• Key contribution:
  • Mahalanobis Model → Heavy-industry based planning.
• Global academic legacy:
  • C.R. Rao
  • S.R.S. Varadhan (Fields Medalist)
• Often linked with the Bengal Renaissance and scientific institution-building.

WHAT DOES THE 2025 BILL PROPOSE?

(A) Change in Legal Status

• From:
  • Registered Society
• To:
  • Statutory Body Corporate

(B) New Governance Architecture

• Power concentrated in:
  • Board of Governors (BoG) under Section 15.
• Earlier structure:
  • 33-member Council
  • 10 from ISI community (8 elected faculty, 1 worker, 1 scientific worker)
• Under 2025 Bill:
  • Zero elected ISI representatives
  • Dominated by Union Government nominees

(C) Funding Model Shift

• Section 29: “Power to generate revenue”
  • Student fees
  • Consultancy
  • Sponsored research
• Signals a shift towards corporate-style funding model

WHY ARE ACADEMICIANS PROTESTING?

1. Loss of Institutional Autonomy

• Society model allowed:
  • Independent Memorandum & Bye-laws
  • Faculty-driven governance
• Statutory corporate model:
  • Direct state control via BoG

2. Political Interference in Appointments

• All appointments routed through:
  • Union Government-controlled BoG
• Fear of:
  • Ideological capture
  • Loyalty-based hiring over academic merit

3. Threat to Basic Research

• ISI’s strength:
  • Long-gestation, non-commercial basic research
• Corporate funding logic:
  • Favours short-term, revenue-generating projects
  • Risks marginalising pure mathematics & statistics

4. Federalism Concerns

• Bypasses:
  • West Bengal Societies Registration Act
• Seen as violating:
  • Spirit of cooperative federalism

5. Democratic Deficit

• Over 1,500 academicians wrote to Rao Inderjit Singh (MoS, MoSPI).
• Students formed:
  • Human chain protest in North Kolkata (B.T. Road campus).

GOVERNMENT’S POSITION

• Objective:
  • Make ISI a “world-leading institute” by its centenary in 2031.
• Justification:
  • Four review committees examined ISI.
  • Most recent chaired by R.A. Mashelkar (2020).
• Recommendations:
  • Governance reforms
  • Academic expansion
  • Global competitiveness

CORE POLICY DILEMMA

Issue	Government View	Academicians’ View
Legal Status	Strong statutory backing	Society model protects autonomy
Governance	Centralised professional management	Democratic academic self-rule
Funding	Diversification via market	Commercialisation of research
Appointments	Uniform national control	Political interference risk

CONSTITUTIONAL & GOVERNANCE DIMENSIONS

• Article 19(1)(g): Academic freedom & professional autonomy
• Federalism: Central law overriding state-registered societies
• Institutional independence: Similar debates seen in:
  • Universities
  • Regulatory bodies
  • Research councils

Deeper risk:

• Shift from knowledge institutions as public goods
• To knowledge institutions as corporate entities

LIKELY POLITICAL TRAJECTORY

• Opposition parties:
  • TMC
  • CPI(M)
• Have vowed to:
  • Oppose Bill if tabled in Parliament.
• Indicates:
  • Possible Standing Committee scrutiny
  • Legislative confrontation ahead

BROADER IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA

• Affects:
  • Credibility of India’s statistical system
  • Independence of official economic data
  • Global trust in Indian research institutions
• Comes at a time when:
  • Data transparency and methodological credibility are already under scrutiny.

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