Progress on pay package issue of IITs

In the backdrop of faculty across the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) protesting against the Central government notification on the sixth pay panel, the issue was discussed between IIT directors and HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday.

Sibal assured the IIT directors he will look into their grievances. “The minister has agreed to some changes and we are hopeful they will be acceptable to the faculty,” said IIT Guwahati director Gautam Barua. “The final package will be quite good for the faculty,” added IIT Bombay director Devang Khakhar. The directors, however, refused to divulge any details.

The All-India Faculty Federation of the IITs had submitted a memorandum of demands to the ministry of human resource & development (MHRD) last month. The faculty is demanding that assistant professors be placed in a higher pay band, as is the case in Central universities.

They have also asked for scholastic pay and suitable compensation for aspiring faculty members for the time they spend in research before taking up teaching. It is learnt that Sibal has agreed to rectify the pay-band problem. However, the other issues will be discussed at the IIT Council meeting, scheduled on September 15.