Director of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) S Parasuraman on Sunday said that the institute has been managing with great difficulty as University Grant Commission has failed to release sanctioned funds.
UGC had sanctioned as PLAN projects and funded the three Centers — Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policies, Advanced Center for Women’s Studies and the Nodal Centre for Excellence under the Scheme of Human Rights Education on – on a plan-to-plan basis (every 5 years).
“Though these Centers had been sanctioned and funding approved, the Institute has not received grants for payment of salaries and other operating cost of the Centres,” he said.
He added that these centers have been doing remarkable work in teaching, research and extension services since their inception.
“The work of the Centres has been well documented and submitted to the UGC from time to time,” he said.
He said that the Institute has been regularly following up with the UGC for the release of 511.25 lakh, spent by the Institute upfront to manage these three centers.
“We have also written to the UGC to continue these Centres, established under various Plans, beyond the 12th Plan period (March 31, 2017),” he added.
He said that the pending a decision to be taken by the UGC, the natural course of action for the Institute would be to inform the faculty and staff specifically appointed in these Centres that their appointments shall lapse by March 31.
“This was done because without an order from the UGC extending the period of these Centres, the Institute will not have legitimacy to claim the cost incurred in continuing with these positions,” he said.
