Red tape leaves UGC’s social inclusion scheme in limbo, leads to salary crisis
Bureaucratic delays in renewing a UGC social inclusion scheme have left 24 central universities in India without funding, causing salary crises for staff. The scheme, which supports research on marginalized communities, has been stuck in administrative processing for seven months.
Why it matters
The situation highlights systemic administrative inefficiencies in Indian higher education that directly impact faculty livelihoods and academic research.
Seven months into the current financial year, 24 central universities still await the renewal of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) flagship scheme for teaching and conducting research on marginalised communities.
The Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion in Universities (CSSIU) earlier began as a five-year plan in 2007-08. This now runs as a UGC scheme renewed annually from April to March each year.
In a written reply to The Hindu , the Ministry of Education (MoE) stated, “The proposal regarding the continuation of the CSSIU Scheme for the Financial Year 2026-27 is currently under process.”
Prominent universities that conduct two-year Master’s programmes and five-year PhD courses under the centre include Banaras Hindu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, the University of Hyderabad, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Panjab University, amongst others. Apart from teaching, these centres also conduct specialised outreach activities focused on tribal and disadvantaged populations.
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