New Delhi, Aug. 4 -- The Union government on Monday introduced the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, proposing to repeal the 67-year-old Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959 and replace the premier institution's society-based governance structure with a statutory framework centred on a government-accountable Board of Governors (BoG), a move that would fundamentally alter how the institute is governed, how its director is appointed and how key academic decisions-from admissions and curriculum to new courses and collaborations-are taken.

The government said the legislation would modernise the institute and enable it to emerge as a globally recognised centre for statistical sciences and allied disciplines. Ho...