Overview
- Parliamentary papers placed the Indian Statistical Institute Bill in the Lok Sabha this week, proposing to repeal the ISI Act of 1959 and make ISI a body corporate governed by a 12‑member board.
- The proposed board would have no elected worker or dean representatives, its chair would be nominated by the President on government advice, and the board could appoint the director and override the Academic Council.
- Faculty, alumni, students and opposition MPs have protested the bill and launched a petition that had gathered more than 6,500 signatures by Thursday in opposition to the overhaul.
- The government says the changes follow recommendations of the R. A. Mashelkar review to modernize governance, but several ISI faculty contend the panel did not call for repeal and say consultations were insufficient.
- Opponents warn the overhaul could reduce grants, end student stipends, and weaken ISI’s independence as a data watchdog, a risk critics link to a wider government push to centralize higher‑education governance.