PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE, CHAIRMAN AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL AS ON MARCH 31, 2018 President: Dr. Vijay Kelkar, Padma Vibhushan 1. Chairman: Prof. Goverdhan Mehta, FNA, FRS, Dr. Kallam Anji Reddy Chair School of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad, Central University, Gachibowli, Hyderabad - 500 046, Telangana. 2. Director: Prof. Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay. Representatives of the Government of India 3. Shri Surendra Nath Tripathi, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Govt. of India, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, New Delhi. 4. Shri M.V.S. Ranganadham, DG (ES), Govt. of India, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, New Delhi. 5. Shri Pramod Kumar Das, Additional Secretary, Govt. of India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure, New Delhi. 6. Dr. Praveer Asthana, Adviser/Scientist-G, Head (AI and Mega Science Divisions), Govt. of India, Ministry of Science and Technology, New Delhi. 7. Dr. M.D. Patra, Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai. 8. Shri R. Subrahmanyam, Additional Secretary (T), Govt. of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi. Representative of the ICSSR 9. Dr. V.K. Malhotra, Member-Secretary, Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. Representatives of the INSA 10. Dr. Manindra Agrawal, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. 11. Prof. B.L.S. Prakasa Rao, Ph. D, FNA, FASc, FNASc., FAPAS, Former Director ISI, Ramanujan Chair Prof., CR Rao Advance Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, Hyderabad. 12. Dr. Baldev Raj, President, PSG Institutions, Tamil Nadu. 13. Prof. Yadati Narahari, Department of Computer Science and Automation, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Representative of the NITI Aayog/ Planning Commission 14. Ms. Anna Roy, Adviser (DM&A), Govt. of India, NITI Aayog, New Delhi. Representative of the University Grants Commission 15. Prof. Debasis Kundu, Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Scientists co-opted by the Council 16. Prof. Rohini M. Godbole, FNA, Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. 17. Prof. Mihir K Chaudhuri, Vice-Chancellor, Tezpur University, Assam. Elected representatives of the Institute members not employed in the Institute 18. Prof. Shibdas Bandyopadhyay, Kolkata. 19. Prof. Atis Kr. Dasgupta, Kolkata. 20. Dr. I.K. Ravichandra Rao, Bangalore. Elected representatives of the employees of the Institute 21. Dr. Partha Pratim Mohanta, Representative of the Scientific Workers. 22. Shri Gouri Sankar Acharya, Representative of the Non-scientific Workers. Officers of the Institute 23. Prof. Arup Bose, Professor-in-Charge, Theoretical Statistics and Mathematics Division. 24. Prof. Ayanendranath Basu, Professor-in-Charge, Applied Statistics Division. 25. Prof. Arunava Sen, Professor-in-Charge, Social Sciences Division. 26. Dr. Tapan Chakraborty, Professor-in-Charge, Physics and Earth Sciences Division. 27. Prof. Pabitra Banik, Professor-in-Charge, Biological Sciences Division. 28. Prof. Susmita Sur-Kolay, Professor-in-Charge, Computer and Communication Sciences Division. 29. Shri Somnath Ray, Head, SQC & OR Division. 30. Prof. Abhay G. Bhatt, Head, Delhi Centre. 31. Prof. T.S.S.R.K. Rao, Head, Bangalore Centre. 32. Dr. D. Sampangi Raman, Acting Head, Chennai Centre. 33. Dr. Amita Pal, Dean of Studies. Non-Member Secretary Prof. Barun Mukhopadhyay, Chief Executive (Administration & Finance). INDIAN STATISTICAL INSTITUTE Annual Report April 2017 – March 2018 203 Barrackpore Trunk Road Kolkata – 700 108 (http://www.isical.ac.in) INDIAN STATISTICAL INSTITUTE EIGHTY SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT April 2017 – March 2018 CONTENTS Page Director’s Report i Report on Celebration of 125th Birth Anniversary of Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis iii Recent Centres xi Brief History of the Institute xiii Part I. Teaching & Training, Research and Publications 1. Teaching & Training 1 Degrees and Training Courses 1 Ph.D. Degrees Awarded 5 International Statistical Education Centre 10 2. Research and other Scientific Activities 11 Theoretical Statistics and Mathematics Division 11 Stat-Math Unit (SMU), Kolkata 12 Stat-Math Unit (SMU), Delhi 12 Stat-Math Unit (SMU), Bangalore 13 Applied Statistics Division 15 Applied Statistics Unit (ASU), Kolkata 16 Interdisciplinary Statistical Research Unit (ISRU), Kolkata 16 Applied Statistics Unit (ASU), Chennai 17 Applied and Official Statistics Unit (AOSU), N-E Centre, Tezpur 17 Computer and Communication Sciences Division 18 Advanced Computing and Microelectronics Unit (ACMU), Kolkata 19 Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Unit (CVPRU), Kolkata 20 Electronics and Communication Sciences Unit (ECSU), Kolkata 21 Machine Intelligence Unit (MIU), Kolkata 21 Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC), Bangalore 22 Systems Science and Informatics Unit (SSIU), Bangalore 23 Computer Science Unit (CSU), Chennai 24 Cryptology and Security Research Unit (CSRU), Kolkata 24 Physics and Earth Sciences Division 25 Geological Studies Unit (GSU), Kolkata 25 Physics and Applied Mathematics Unit (PAMU), Kolkata 26 Biological Sciences Division 28 Agricultural & Ecological Research Unit (AERU), Kolkata 29 Biological Anthropology Unit (BAU), Kolkata 30 Human Genetics Unit (HGU), Kolkata 30 Social Sciences Division 31 Economic Research Unit (ERU), Kolkata 31 Linguistic Research Unit (LRU), Kolkata 33 Population Studies Unit (PSU), Kolkata 33 Psychology Research Unit (PRU), Kolkata 34 Sampling and Official Statistics Unit (SOSU), Kolkata 34 Sociological Research Unit (SRU), Kolkata 36 Economics and Planning Unit (EPU), Delhi 36 Economic Analysis Unit (EAU), Bangalore 38 Statistical Quality Control and Operations Research Division 39 SQC & OR Unit, Kolkata 40 SQC & OR Unit, Delhi 41 SQC & OR Unit, Bangalore 41 SQC & OR Unit, Coimbatore 41 SQC & OR Unit, Hyderabad 43 SQC & OR Unit, Mumbai 43 Library, Documentation and Information Sciences Division 43 Library, Kolkata 43 Library, Delhi 46 Library, Bangalore 47 Library, Chennai 48 Library, Tezpur 49 PCM Memorial Museum and Archives, Kolkata 50 Centre for Soft Computing Research: A National Facility, Kolkata 50 Computer and Statistical Services Centre, Kolkata 51 3. Projects 52 Internally Funded Projects 52 Ongoing Projects 52 Completed Projects 56 Externally Funded Projects 59 Ongoing Projects 59 Completed Projects 67 North East Projects 71 Ongoing Projects 71 Completed Projects 72 4. Symposia, Conferences, Workshops, Lectures and Seminars 73 Symposia and Conferences 73 North East Symposia and Conferences 74 Workshops and Training Programme 74 North East Workshops and Training Programme 80 Lectures and Seminars 81 5. Publication of Sankhyā 101 6. Scientific Papers and Publications 102 Books Published 102 Papers Published in Journals 104 Papers Published in Conference Proceedings 136 Papers Published in Books 146 7. Visiting Scientists, Honours and Awards 150 Visiting Scientists 150 Honours and Awards 164 8. Editorial and other Scientific Assignments 167 Editorial Assignments 167 Scientific Assignments/Academic Visits Abroad 170 Scientific Assignments/Academic Visits in India 178 9. Mathematical Olympiad Organised 193 Part II. Administration and Office Bearers 10. General Administration 194 11. List of Members of the Academic Council and other 203 Committees of the Institute as on 31 March 2018 Part III. Audited Statement of Accounts and Auditor’s Report for the year 2017-2018 Director’s Report I am delighted to present before you the Annual Report 2017-18 of the Indian Statistical Institute. This Institute was established by P.C. Mahalanobis in 1931 in Kolkata. It has now grown into a unique institution of higher learning, and is spread over several cities of the country. As in the past, the Institute continues its glorious tradition of disseminating knowledge in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Quantitative Economics and related subjects. The year 2017-18 saw the Institute continue to flourish under the able leadership and guidance of the ISI President Dr. Vijay Kelkar and the Chairman of the ISI Council, Professor Goverdhan Mehta. The Institute conducted its 52nd Convocation in January 2018. The Institute was happy to have Nobel Laureate Professor David J. Gross, Chancellor’s Chair Professor of Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA as the Chief Guest and Professor S.R.S. Varadhan, Padma Bhushan and winner of the Abel Prize, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, USA as the Special Guest. The year 2017-2018 marked the 125th birth anniversary year of P.C. Mahalanobis and was celebrated in a befitting manner through a series of academic programs in Kolkata and the different Centres. The year-long celebrations was inaugurated by the then Hon’ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, on June 29, 2017. A few special issues of journals have been envisaged, including those of Sankhya, the journal of Statistics started by Mahalanobis. The Institute hosted a number of distinguished visitors who delivered public talks and seminars. Professor Ada Yonath, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, visited the Institute on November 29, 2017 and delivered a public lecture titled “From Basic Science to Next Generation Medicine”. The other visitors include Prof. Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology and now the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Prof. M.S. Raghunathan, Padma Bhushan awardee, IIT Bombay, Dr. R.B. Barman, Chairman, National Statistical Commission, Prof. Robert Faff, University of Queensland,