ICSSR institutions face crisis due to delay in 7th Pay Commission

ADITI MALIK HIGHLIGHTS HOW LEVELS OF PARTY INSTABILITY INFORM DECISIONS OF POLITICAL ELITES TO SUPPORT VIOLENCE

- HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Institutions affiliated to the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), the national body that oversees research in the social sciences in the country, have been facing an escalating financial crisis, one that has adversely impacted both recruitment and retention of qualified staff, for the last eight years.

The crisis stems from the delay in implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) revised pay scales, despite the ministry of education issuing an order in January 2016.

"We are being paid salaries that are much lower than our counterparts in other centrally funded institutions, despite being equally or more qualified. It is disheartening to see such apathy towards institutions that contribute immensely to policy research and social sciences in the country," a professor from a leading ICSSR institution said.

According to faculty members, this underpayment not only affects their daily lives but also undermines their professional morale, making it harder to maintain the quality of work. ICSSR officials as well as the ministry of education declined HT's multiple requests for a comment on the issue.

According to the 6th CPC, the salary for an ICSSR institute professor is between ₹37,400 and ₹67,000 per month, with an academic grade pay of ₹11,000-₹22,400. A professor told HT that their salary would have almost doubled had the 7th CPC been implemented.