ALT Professor James is well respected in our field and his reputation and integrity precedes his intellectual contributions and leadership. IIPS is globally renowned for its reputation in conducting and analysing the world's largest population surveys, which provide robust statistical data for national development and planning. IIPS' reputation, academic rigour and integrity is well acknowledged by demographers worldwide including the UN agencies. The use of data for politics is a fundamental breach of democratic rights. Professor James' academic credentials and leadership in advancing the profile and reputation of IIPS in India and outside are exemplary. As a learned society we believe in the importance of having independent data with which to inform evidence based policy decisions. It is important that organisations such as IIPS are able to operate independently, providing transparent, robust and trusted data.