IIT faculty on hunger strike in protest over revised pay commission recommendations

New Delhi, Sep 24 (ANI): Faculty of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) are observing a day long hunger strike to reiterate their disagreement with the Human Resource Ministry's revised notification on Sixth Pay Commission.

They submitted a memorandum to withdraw the 40 per cent cap on promotion of professors to the senior grade, but the ministry has rejected their demand.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, said the government wants to give more freedom to elite institutes provided they come up with a futuristic vision on achieving excellence.

Sibal said that IITs are brand institutes of the country and the government respects them. He added that the government wants to give them more autonomy only if they discuss their vision plan.

He said the vision should reflect strategies to raise faculty income levels so that they do not rely on the government to achieve excellence. (ANI)