The revision of payscales of teachers of national institutes of technology (NITs) by HRD ministry has stirred a hornest"s nest with NIT teachers in no mood to play second fiddle to their counterparts at IITs and IIMs in the backdrop of the fact that draft of `Vision 2020’ document states that the NITs should be brought at par with IITs. Moreover, the Knowledge Commission, set up by the UPA government has also laid stress on enhancing the number of qualified technocrats in the country.Discussing the issue with TOI, director, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), AB Samaddar said, "We have discussed the issue of disparity in payscales at a meeting of NIT directors. Some of the issues require urgent attention. An eight-member projection committee has been formed which will put the case before HRD ministry and cite the contributions and achievements being made by NITs in the sphere of technical education of the country."
It may be recalled that government of India issued a GO No. F.No.23-1/2009-TS-II, dated August 18, 2009 for implementing Sixth Pay Commission scales to teaching staff in NITs and other technical institutions. But the payscales and allowances sanctioned through this GO are different for different institutions of national importance like IITs and NITs.
Secretary of MNNIT Teachers Association Mukul Shukla said that at the entry level, a lecturer re-designated as assistant professor is placed in PB3 rank and recommended time-bound promotions as stated in UGC payscales, 2006, which is against the spirit of human resource development. It will makes a lecturer wait for many years to get promotion to the next cadre. "We are demanding that an assistant professor with PhD be given seven increments with advanced grade pay (AGP) of Rs 8,000 and promoted to the post of associate professor after being placed in PB4 rank after three years. We also demand that assistant professor with MTech be given three increments with AGP of Rs 7,000 and then given AGP of Rs 8,000 after three years of service. Then upon getting PhD, he/she must be promoted to associate professor after three years," he said.
He demanded that the present cadre of assistant professors be designated as associate professors. The minimum basic pay in PB4 for associate professor and professor must be fixed at Rs 44,000 and Rs 49,000 respectively.
It is pertinent to mention that erstwhile RECs were upgraded to NITs in 2002, keeping in view the report of Knowledge Commission to increase the number of qualified technocrats. Presently there are 20 NITs and 10 more are likely to start in the near future.
Source : Times of India.
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