Govt tables Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Bill, 2026 in Lok Sabha

The Union government introduced the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, proposing to repeal the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959.

The bill would replace ISI's society-based governance with a statutory framework centered on a government-accountable Board of Governors (BoG).

The new structure would change how the director is appointed and how academic decisions on admissions, curriculum, and collaborations are made.

Government says the legislation will modernise ISI and make it a globally recognised centre for statistical sciences, while faculty and students protest, citing autonomy concerns.

Minister of state for statistics and programme implementation Rao Inderjit Singh introduced the bill, which aims to convert ISI into a statutory body corporate.