Peace Prevails? ISI Gets Invite To Be Lead Knowledge Institute For Bengal
Times of India | 7 September 2026
Kolkata: Amid controversies over the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, the state govt has reached out to ISI asking the institute to become the ‘lead knowledge institute’ under Viksit Bharat@2047 programme.
Under the programme, the lead knowledge institution collaborates directly with govt by providing critical data analysis, research support, policy design, capacity building and implementation assistance. ISI council is likely to hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the state govt’s proposal.
The institute had been approached a few days back with the proposal of being the Lead Knowledge Institute (LKI) for the state, sources in the state Planning and Statistics department, said.
NITI Aayog had launched State Support Mission in 2022 and the scheme connects specialist academic and research bodies with state govts to drive evidence-based governance. IIIT Bangalore was nominated as an LKI to focus on data science and policy intersections. University of Hyderabad was also appointed as the LKI for the Telangana govt to manage multi-sectoral planning.
In the LKI system, institutes work alongside organisations like state institutions for transformation (SITs) to align regional goals with national missions like Viksit Bharat @2047. They also conduct research studies, organise training workshops, provide data analytics and build institutional capacity.
ISI’s Kolkata unit, over the past 12 months, witnessed series of protests from faculty members, staff and employees after the Centre moved the draft ISI Bill. ISI faculty members alleged that the bill was aimed at curbing the autonomy of the Kolkata unit and apprehended a step to move the institute headquarters away from Kolkata.
Later some changes were brought to the bill and a revised bill was uploaded on Nov 28. In the revised draft, the Board of Governors was made the ‘principal policy making executive body” of the institute and further specified and strengthened its powers. The bill was tabled in the Parliament last month.
“The proposal seems to be a step towards improving the institute’s relationship with the state,” said an administrative official at the ISI.