PU men bag top AIFUTA posts

CHANDIGARH, Dec 29: The All India Federation of University Teachers' Association AIFUTA -- a new organisation of university teachers at...

CHANDIGARH, Dec 29: The All India Federation of University Teachers8217; Association AIFUTA 8212; a new organisation of university teachers at the national level 8212; formally came into being today with the election of the national secretariat of the body on the concluding day of the two-day regional convention of the association.

Following election of the secretariat, the members resolved that the association would demand from the government that the revised pay scales and raising the age of superannuation from 60 to 62 be implemented simultaneously in all the states. Other demands which were resolved to be forwarded to the University Grants Commission UGC and the Ministry of Human Resource Development HRD included that university teachers be given grades at par with teachers of the Indian Institutes of Technology and Management, no discrimination be made between direct promotees and merit promotees and a total service of 17 years be made the eligibility threshold for professorship and nine years for getting the reader8217;s scale.

Interestingly, three top posts in the AIFUTA national secretariat went to faculty members from the Panjab University. While P. P. Arya, convenor of today8217;s convention was elected president, Satya P. Gautam, president of the Panjab University Teachers8217; Association PUTA was elected general secretary. K. Tankeshwar was elected joint secretary-cum-treasurer. The three elected secretaries include Madhumas Chandra from Jiwaji University, Madhya Pradesh general stream, Hari Singh Brar from the PAU Ludhiana agriculture stream and R. K. Sharma engineering stream.

Other office bearers include five vice-presidents from various zones: Amar Yumnam North East region, Manipur University, R. K. Bedi North, Nitin Malik Central, Pt Ravi Shankar University, MP, Ajit Thakur West, S. P. University, A. Damodaran South, J. L. Nehru Technological University, Andhra Pradesh. Five zonal secretaries include: M. Ranjit North East, Manipur University, A. N. Kaushal North, University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, V. B. Kakade West, Shivaji University, Kohlapur, K. N. Tripathi Central, Barkatullah University, Bhopal and V.R.C. Krishania South, S.V. University, Tirupati.

The office bearers from the Eastern Region were not elected today, since two teachers8217; association leaders from Jadavpur University who were present in the convention, attended the convention as observers.