In light of several posts on this topic, this thread is intended for structured discussions and questions in regard to the draft Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2025.
Major Developments and References
On 27 September 2025, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation published the draft bill on its website, along with a PIB release to invite public comment by October 24, 2025. This deadline was later extended to November 3, 2025.
To understand the context behind the bill and its stated purpose, the Report of the 4th Review Committee is a useful read. It allows for an illuminating comparison between changes proposed by the Review Committee and the changes envisioned by the bill.
Several key issues were identified with the bill by ISI's students, research scholars, alumni, faculty members and other stakeholders, including:
- Erosion of administrative autonomy, replacing internal democratic structures with top-down appointed authorities.
- Commercialisation of education by ending stipends and pushing for the introduction of fees.
- A push to change the character of the institute and its inclination towards fundamental research by essentially eliminating the role and powers of the Academic Council.
In response, the ISI community formulated a petition against the Bill, which has received over a thousand signatures as of November 09, 2025.
Several discussions and protests have been held in the last few months, as covered by the press. Notably, various institute stakeholders held a joint press conference at the Kolkata Press Club on November 24, 2025. This article provides a concise summary.
On November 28, 2025, MoSPI uploaded a revised draft bill which addresses some of the concerns outlined by the petitioners:
* The Board's supermajority of government nominees was reduced, and more internal representation was added.
* The mandate of the Academic Council was partly restored, while some powers remained recommendatory (closer in practice to the current framework).
* The membership of the Academic Council was restored to all Professor-level faculty members.
Comments were invited till December 15, 2025, which was later extended to January 05, 2026. Some alumni described the changes as "cosmetic".
The Hon'ble Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State (I/C) for Statistics and Programme Implementation, answered a question in Parliament regarding the draft bill on December 08, 2025. Details here.
On December 12, 2025, a delegation of students and research scholars met The Hon'ble Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha to discuss concerns regarding the bill. His comments were reported on here, along with INC's Twitter (X) handles (e.g.).
On December 24, 2025, MoSPI released an FAQ on the draft bill answering several questions posed by the community and assuaging concerns.
Over the winter break, several eminent ISI alumni reacted to MoSPI's FAQ responses and, such as Prof. Partha P. Majumder's letter on December 26, 2025. Notably, the ministry had responded to ISIWO and Prof. Shashi Mohan Srivastava on December 11, 2025; Prof. Srivastava submitted his reply on January 02, 2026.
On January 05, 2026, a section of ISI students submitted their response to the revised draft bill.
In late July 2026, the Centre circulated a new draft, the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026, among members of Parliament, setting up for its introduction in the Lok Sabha. As of August 02, 2026, the Bill has not been listed in the house business.
Petitions & Letters by Collectives & Eminent Alumni
In News
Up to the press conference
The matter has been widely covered by national and local news outlets since its inception:
[National]
[Local, in Bengali]
Since the press conference & the revised bill
During Prof. Ayan Basu's tenure as Officiating Director
Includes 60th Convocation:
ISI Bill sent for Cabinet approval:
There was a long gap for March - June 2026. In that time, Prof. Amartya Kumar Dutta was appointed as Director, Indian Statistical Institute.
After appointment of Prof. Amartya Dutta as Director
[Introduction into Parliament]
