Seven months into FY 2026-27, 24 central universities still await renewal of the Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion. Created in 2007-08 under the Five-Year Plan, CSSI was UGC's flagship to teach and research on Dalit, tribal and disadvantaged communities. Now it runs on ad-hoc annual extensions from April to March.
The result is administrative chaos. Universities like BHU, Jamia Millia Islamia, Hyderabad, TISS and Panjab University run two-year Masters and five-year PhD programmes under CSSI. But staff say non-payment was recurring between 2019-2024, and this year September salaries were withheld entirely after an August payout delayed by 20 days. One professor told The Hindu: payouts will only come after the extension nod arrives from the Centre.
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The Education Ministry says it works on reimbursement basis. Rs 26.05 crore was released for 2024-25 to 18 centres, plus a 60% advance of Rs 7.59 crore for 2025-26, taking total to Rs 33.64 crore. Settlement for 2025-26 is under process. The proposal for 2026-27 is "currently under process" - the bureaucratese for file-in-motion.
The irony is cruel. Centres that study structural exclusion face structural precarity. Staff with 15+ years of service have no employment protection, no appraisal, no promotion. Uncertainty drives faculty and students away, undermining the very academic objectives behind the centre. The Ministry's response that financial assistance operates on reimbursement after verification ignores the human cost of delay.
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If India wants serious research on social justice, it cannot fund it like a yearly mela grant. The CSSI scheme routinely operates on uncertainty, though it plays a critical role in advocating for marginalised communities. UGC must give CSSI a five-year block grant with core faculty positions, not annual begging. Otherwise we teach inclusion while practicing exclusion.
Tags: #UGC #CSSI #Sociallnclusion #HigherEducation #BHU #JMI #EducationMinistry #Research #DalitStudies #FacultyCrisis