The Hindu : National : `Discontinue fresh recruitment under UGC scheme'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 13, 2005

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National

`Discontinue fresh recruitment under UGC scheme'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 12. The four-member C. N. R. Rao Committee set up to work out the modalities for reintroduction of the University Grants Commission's (UGC) Research Scientists Scheme is of the view that further recruitment under the scheme should be "discontinued forthwith.'' As for the Government's requirement that the scheme be used to facilitate research in the country to make India a research hub, the committee has said it would "look into alternative methods of attracting talented professionals to educational institutions.''

In its report submitted to the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, the committee has suggested that scientists working under the scheme continue to do so. Further, it has recommended that supernumerary positions be created to absorb the scientists wherever possible while maintaining that "those absorbed by various institutions will no longer be part of this scheme.''

According to the committee, scientists under the programme should be accommodated in Central institutions — Central universities, Indian Institutes of Technology and National Institutes of Technology — as far as possible. Once absorbed, they will be governed by the superannuation rules of the institution that takes them aboard. The committee was set up in November 2004 under the chairmanship of Prof. Rao of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research after the Ministry decided to step in to end the long drawn-out court battle between the UGC and its Research Scientists Association. The UGC was asked to withdraw all court cases against research scientists and reintroduce the scheme that ran into rough weather in 1995 and was discontinued during the 9th Plan period.

Upset with the manner in which the UGC had spent huge amounts of money fighting the cases, the Union HRD Minister, Arjun Singh, was of the view that more public money should not be wasted on litigation that "served no academic interest.'' The Ministry directed the UGC not to pursue the cases against the scientists as the Commission had lost practically every case filed by research scientists after their research facilities were terminated.

When launched, 200 research scientist positions were created — 100 each for science and humanities streams.

The researchers were to be granted award initially for five years and the work was to be evaluated before the expiry of the five-year period.

After the review, the award could either be withdrawn or continued at the same level or the scientist could be promoted to a higher level for another five years.

Over the years, the UGC apparently began to use the provision for review arbitrarily, leading to litigation with the Association.

Though no new academics were brought under the scheme since 1995, the Association claimed things had turned for the worse when Hari Gautam was the UGC Chairman.

In 2000, awards to nine scientists were terminated and the Commission also decided to wind up the scheme.

The researchers went to court and were reinstated by the Court but the Commission went in for appeal.

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