The Centre has extended the deadline for public feedback on its revised draft of the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2025. In its essence, the draft Bill aims to give Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) a modern legal framework and elevate it as a more powerful national data and research institution.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation first released a draft ISI Bill on September 25, 2025, with public comments invited till November 3, 2025.
After examining the feedback, it uploaded a revised draft Bill on November 28, 2025, on the official MoSPI website and initially sought comments till December 15, 2025.
But on Monday, the Centre announced that “in order to facilitate wider circulation and enable continued pre‑legislative consultative process”, the deadline for comments on the revised draft has now been extended up to January 5, 2026.
This extension gives ISI faculty, alumni, statisticians and the wider public more time to study the strengthened governance and accountability clauses and send their suggestions to the ministry via email.
What is the revised Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2025?
The draft Bill declares the existing Indian Statistical Institute an “Institution of National Importance” and converts it from a registered society into a statutory body corporate, with the power to own property, sue and be sued, and expand centres in India and abroad.
Its stated objectives include making ISI a globally recognised centre of excellence in statistical sciences and allied fields, encouraging interdisciplinary research, and promoting collaborations between government, industry and academia.
The Institute is defined as a not‑for‑profit entity that must reinvest any surplus back into its academic and research goals, while also striving for financial self‑sufficiency through fees, consultancy, research projects and other revenues.
The draft lays down a detailed governance structure with the President of India as Visitor, a powerful Board of Governors as the principal policy‑making body, an Academic Council for academic decisions, and Management Councils at each Centre.
The Board will include a government‑nominated Chairperson, ministry representatives, eminent external experts and internal representatives such as the Director and Dean of Studies. It controls key decisions on new centres, academic programmes, fees, staff strength, and major financial and infrastructure moves, but is required to follow transparent regulations and is accountable to the Central government.
Administration and accountability
The Bill specifies how the Director, Centre‑Directors, Deans, Registrar and Deputy Registrars are appointed, their terms, and the separation of academic and financial powers.
It mandates audited accounts by the Comptroller and Auditor‑General, internal auditors, an Audit Committee, publication of annual accounts on the Institute’s website, and an annual financial report listing top remunerated officials and their links to Board or Academic Council members, if any.
There are also strong performance‑review provisions: the Visitor can order reviews, the Director must submit an annual performance report, and the Board must commission an independent institutional review at least once every five years, with reports to be shared with the government and made public.
ISI as a key central institution
The Bill confirms that ISI will remain open to all regardless of gender, caste, religion or class, and recognises it as a Central Educational Institution for reservation in admissions, allowing special provisions for SCs, STs, OBCs, women and persons with disabilities.
Transitional clauses protect the service conditions of existing employees and ensure that current students and ongoing legal cases automatically carry over to the new statutory body, while the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959, is formally repealed once the new law takes effect.
