Editorial: Dilution of institutional autonomy must stop
The Draft Indian Statistical Institute Bill is the latest move to centralise control over India's legacy institutions
One of the major criticisms of the NDA government is that it has been systematically attempting to dilute institutional autonomy. The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), the 95-year-old organisation considered the gold standard for statistical research in the country, is one such target. If the proposed legislation of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has its way, the Kolkata-headquartered research body will lose its institutional autonomy and independence. The Draft Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Bill is primarily aimed at changing the status of the ISI from a registered society to a “body corporate”, and to align it with the IIT/IIM model. Not surprisingly, a large number of current and former faculty members, employees and alumni of the reputed organisation have voiced their dissent and raised objections to the proposed changes. The government’s move fits into a pattern of tinkering with the independence and autonomy of legacy institutions through over-centralisation of powers over the past few years. Moreover, there is no debate at any level on the proposed structural reforms that appear opaque. The Centre wants to overhaul the governance structure of the premier institute, which is synonymous with India’s early efforts to use Statistics for policy and development. What is alarming is that the draft Bill, seeking to repeal the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Act, 1959, omits references to national development, social welfare, and planning while introducing new priorities such as global excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and financial self-sustainability. It must be pointed out that ISI’s ‘society structure’ was never an impediment to its growth.
It is true that the research institution has not grown as rapidly as the IITs and IIMs, but that is a conscious decision based on ISI’s objectives enshrined in its Memorandum of Association. There is no truth to the claims that the institution has not focused its attention on emerging subjects like artificial intelligence and machine learning. The ISI established a Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in 2021, which has been conducting research and application projects. Experts fear that increased focus on revenue generation may shift the ISI away from basic research, and the essential long-term research could suffer under a corporate-style funding model. The new legislation undermines the original agreement under which the ISI society was formed in 1931. The proposed Bill seeks to transform ISI from a registered society into a statutory body corporate. This structural shift is framed by the government as a step toward modernising and strengthening ISI as it approaches its centenary. Under the 1959 Act, ISI’s governance rested with a council that included significant academic representation, including 10 members from within ISI. The draft Bill’s new Board of Governance (BoG) is heavily dominated by government nominees, leaving no elected representatives from among faculty or researchers. This raises concerns about political interference, especially in appointments and academic decision-making.
