Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) originated from the Statistical Laboratory at Presidency College, Kolkata, set up by P. C. Mahalanobis in the 1920s. On 17 December 1931, Mahalanobis met with Pramatha Nath Banerji, Nikhil Ranjan Sen and Sir Rajendra Nath Mookerjee, leading to the founding of ISI, formally registered on 28 April 1932 as a non-profit learned society. In 1953, it relocated to Baranagar, near Kolkata. The institute grew through the work of colleagues such as S. S. Bose, Samarendra Kumar Mitra, Raj Chandra Bose, and others, and started a training section in 1938. By the 1940s, ISI was internationally recognized and served as a model for the first U.S. statistics institute. In 1950, ISI designed the National Sample Survey for the Government of India. Until 1959, ISI was associated with the University of Calcutta; the Indian Statistical Institute Act of 1959 later declared it an Institute of National Importance, authorizing it to grant degrees in statistics, mathematics, computer science, and quantitative economics. It is funded by the Central Government of India.