Govt sets up panel to review Indian Statistical Institute’s status, suggest changes in ISI Act

NEW DELHI: The government has setup a Review Committee under former CSIR director general R A Mashelkar to review the present status of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata in fulfillment of its objectives as an institute of national importance, its performance in the last ten years and the spectrum of its research and non-research activities. The committee also has former chief statistician Pronab Sen as a member.

“The committee shall submit its report within six months from the date of issue of this notification,” the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) said in a notification dated January 28.

As per the notification, the panel can recommend suitable measures, as also reorganization/restructuring, including the requirement of resources, to enable the institute to play a more effective role in serving the economic and social development needs of the country.


The terms of reference of the committee include review of the non-research academic programmes of the institute including admissions, course contents, evaluation, fees and incentivisation policy, collaboration with academic institutes within and outside the country and its overall governance and administrative structure.

Besides six members, the panel comprises one secretary and four ex-officio members.

The committee would “review the extent and intensity of interaction/collaboration with government, industry and other organizations in the country, in contributing to country’s economic and social development needs as also for meeting the supply demand gap for statistical and analytical personnel,” the ministry said.

It would also assess the adequacy of the institute’s financial resources, government grants, revenue generation activities, and available physical assets – like land, buildings, equipment, for Institute’s activities and examine the need for any amendments to the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959.