Changes cosmetic, say ISI alumni after revised draft bill
Times of India | 30 November 2025
Kolkata: The ministry of statistics and programme implementation released a ‘revised draft' of the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2025, on Friday night as part of its "pre-legislative consultative process". While the ministry attempted to further elaborate on the structure of the institute's management, faculty members described the amendments as "cosmetic changes" that did not address the core concerns of the institute's autonomy.
In their petition to the ministry, ISI faculty members expressed concern that establishing a board of governors dominated by govt nominees would transform the ISI from a self-governed academic society into a govt-controlled corporate body. They stated that the ISI Act of 1959 vested authority in a council with academic representation and procedural safeguards against any possible govt overreach.
"However, the central govt always had powers of review, inspection, and temporary control only under specific conditions with due process," said Arijit Bishnu, a faculty member of the ISI.
Both the first draft and the revised draft contain the clause that "every centre will have its own management council as decided by the board". The board is also given powers to establish new centres or modify, merge, relocate, or even discontinue existing centres.
In the revised draft, the board has been made the "principal policy-making executive body" of the institute, and its powers have been further specified and strengthened. It has also increased the number of representatives from three to five persons.
In the first draft, the board was already given powers to establish departments, faculties, or schools of studies. The revised draft has asked the board to seek recommendations from the management council before doing so. A section of the ISI faculty felt that this would enhance bureaucratic control.
The first version stated that the institute's objective would include the generation and management of "resources effectively, with the aim of becoming financially self-sustaining". ISI faculty members and staff alleged that it would be discriminatory against poor students. They alleged that such provisions would encourage revenue generation and the commercialisation of research. The clause was dropped in the revised draft.