Ministry of Statistics partners with ISI Kolkata, IDEAS for data-driven research initiatives

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has collaborated with the Institute of Data Engineering, Analytics and Science Foundation (IDEAS), and the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata to conduct data-driven research initiatives. The partnership is aimed to study the various statistics released by the MoSPI and integrate with other data sources.

The collaboration will work under the data-driven decision-making initiative by the government for Viksit Bharat 2047, according to an official statement.

The joint initiative is an innovative, knowledge sharing platform between MoSPI and IDEAS, wherein MoSPI will provide financial assistance and data support, while IDEAS will develop a desktop-based software tool to do GDP Nowcasting, it read.

“The initiative will work as a harmonised indicator framework linking administrative data on government health, nutrition and well-being schemes with household-level NSS data,” it added.

PR Meshram, director general (data governance), MoSPI and R Rajesh, additional director general, capacity development division, MoSPI took part in the signing ceremony.

On August 3, 2026, the MoSPI tabled the ISI Bill 2026 in the Lok Sabha, emphasising to upgrade the ISI from a society model to a statutory body corporate.

The proposal was criticised by academics and opposition leaders and stated that the ISI Bill, 2026 “will lose all autonomy, internal democracy, accountability, and will be transformed into an arm of the union government.”

Demanding a parliamentary committee to discuss the ISI Bill, 2026, the opposition academics termed the bill as “criminal.”

The bill was introduced to bring the ISI’s governance structure in line with the Institutions of National Importance (INIs), such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).