TheIndian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) is the national body overseeing research in thesocial sciences inIndia. It was established inNew Delhi in 1969.
The Council is currently chaired by Prof. Deepak Kumar Srivastava. Current members include Deena Bandhu Pandey,P. Kanagasabapathi,Sanjay Kumar,H.S. Bedi, Harish Chandra Singh Rathore, Panchanan Mohanty,Amita Singh, Kshamadevi Shankarrao Khobragade, T. Subramanyam Naidu, Rakesh Sinha, Aswini Mohapatra, P.V. Krishna Bhatta,Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, J.K. Bajaj, M.P. Bezbaruah, D.D. Pattanaik, andMadhu Purnima Kishwar.[3]
A large proportion of its budget is spent on its own administration; in 1996–1997, this amounted to 23% of total expenditure.[5]: 3607 It has been described as an "oversized, unimaginative and inefficient bureaucrac[y]".[5]: 3604