IIT-Delhi professors demand better pay

The faculty of IIT-Delhi went on mass casual leave on Tuesday demanding the implementations of the Govardhan Committee recommendations.

We were kept waiting for more than a year after the recommendations of the Mehta committee were submitted. The pay,when announced,was much lesser than we expected, said S S Murthy,president of IIT Delhi Faculty Forum.

The faculty members have submitted a memorandum to Minister of Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal and have decided to wear black bands till September 4,when a decision is expected.

The Mehta committee report,which has not been made public yet,is said to have recommended that assistant professors be moved to pay band four after three years of appointment. Sources add that the report also has provisions for a start-up research grant of Rs 15 lakh and scholastic allowance of Rs 15,000 per month,in line with the performance-related incentive scheme that institutions like ISRO have.

Professors of IIT-Delhi,meanwhile,say that their demand was for dignity. We have turned down lucrative offers from abroad to be here. IITs will struggle to retain quality faculty with this pay structure, Prabhal Talukdar,a faculty member,said.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram