On most days, the corridors and classrooms of this autonomous institute at Mumbai University (MU)’s Kalina campus wear a desolate look. The Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, set up under the UPA government in 2006, has not had a full-time chair professor (director) for the past 19 months and has been running without any faculty allegedly since its inception. Ten centres of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies were set up across different universities in the country under the UPA government. In Maharashtra, the centre was started at MU’s Kalina campus. The institute was given a mandate to work in the areas of panchayati raj system; science, technology and society; and secularism and democracy, among others. The aim was to encourage research in these areas and be a think-tank to the government. The position of director fell vacant after former full-time director, late Dr Chandrakant Puri’s tenure got over in March 2018. The position is being handled presently by director in-charge Dr Balaji Kendre of the sociology department, who took over on February 1 last year. Only the post of chair professor was advertised in December last year. According to sources, no interviews has been conducted so far. When contacted, Dr Kendre said, “Presently, we don’t have any other faculty. However, posts of other faculty will soon be advertised. As per the mandate of the chair, I have been regularly conducting activities and seminars.” MU spokesperson Leeladhar Bansod told The Indian Express, “For conducting interviews for full-time director, we have been asking for a UGC nominee, whose absence has delayed the process. Moreover, as part of our recruitment drive, temporary arrangement of faculty is being done and we expect to fill up those positions soon.” An alumna of the institute confirmed to The Indian Express that there was no faculty during their time and that there was only a director. “For the construction of the building, the UGC had given nearly Rs 10 crore during the time. The central government had also asked major corporations to donate funds to the institute through Corporate Social Responsibility,” said a source. Since 2006, only eight PhD students have passed out of the institute. Its building at Kalina campus lies vacant and part of the infrastructure has been given to Observer Research Foundation. Students of Masters of Social Work occupy the classes for their activities at times. The institute is autonomous in nature, giving it powers to set the syllabus without requiring approval from the Board of Studies. It requires at least two associate professors and three assistant professors. Presently, nearly five students are completing PhDs from the institute. Ideally, it can accommodate about 30 PhD students. “Matters pertaining to the institute were brought to the attention of MU Vice Chancellor Dr Suhas Pednekar. However, there has been no action over the status quo. As there is no faculty, the PhD students who are mandated to finish six months of coursework care little about it. Despite UGC guidelines about coursework, these students will be given the degrees,” a source said. In the university’s annual budget this year, the institute has been allotted Rs 2 lakh for seminar, Rs 50,000 for inviting speakers, Rs 50,000 for contingency, Rs 10,000 for books, Rs 2 lakh for furniture, Rs 25,000 for maintenance, Rs 4 lakh each for salary of non-teaching as well as teaching staff, among other things.
