TISS terminates contracts of nearly 100 teaching and non-teaching staff
Mumbai: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has terminated the contracts of nearly 100 teaching and non-teaching staff members, effective June 30, 2024. The termination letters, issued on June 28, stated that the contracts would not be renewed, leaving many long-serving staff members facing unemployment.
This decision has shocked the TISS community, particularly since the Centre converted TISS into a fully publicly funded institute last year.
Professor Manoj Kumar Tiwari, the in-charge Vice-Chancellor of TISS, explained, "These staff were appointed under various projects funded by Tata Trust. Funding for these projects has stopped in the last few months. Considering this, we allowed these teachers to work on a clock-hour basis at the institute. However, we are now unable to secure financial aid, so we decided to terminate their services. We will reappoint them once funding from the Trust resumes."
In response to the mass termination, the Progressive Students Forum (PSF), a students' collective from TISS, expressed their concerns on social media. They highlighted the potential significant shortage of both teaching and non-teaching staff at the institute.
Students have voiced their worries about the negative impact on the student-faculty ratio, citing previous years' National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) data. They fear that the current faculty will be insufficient to meet the needs of the student body and that the termination of these positions might pave the way for politically motivated appointments in the future.
"TISS, a prestigious institute with a nearly 90-year history, has earned its status as a leading social science institution through the contributions of its faculty and staff. Last year, the union government transformed TISS into a fully publicly funded institute. However, this transition has led to delays in student aid and increased financial pressures on students from economically and socially marginalized backgrounds. The latest decision to terminate staff positions further highlights the BJP government’s perceived anti-education and anti-TISS stance," the PSF's statement read.
The PSF has strongly condemned the mass termination and called for immediate action. They demand that the TISS administration revoke the terminations and collaborate with the union government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to secure funding for these positions. Alternatively, they urge urgent discussions with the Tata Education Trust to reinstate funding and protect these jobs.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Meghalaya: Interstate ATM theft racket busted, 6 arrested
Shillong (PTI): An interstate racket involved in ATM thefts across several states has been busted, with the arrest of six persons in connection with a break-in at an electronic banking outlet in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused were allegedly involved in breaking into an ATM of the Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank on April 5, 2024, they said.
Three of the accused were arrested from Barpeta in Assam, while the remaining were apprehended from Haryana, police said.
Ri-Bhoi SP Giri Prasad M said a special police team was constituted to investigate the case.
"With coordinated efforts and assistance from Assam and Haryana Police, we were able to apprehend the accused involved in the ATM break-in," he told PTI.
The case was registered at Umiam police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to police, the gang used gas cutters to break open the ATM safe and fled with the cash within minutes.
"The group is part of a larger network involved in similar ATM thefts across different states. Further investigation is underway to dismantle the entire network," the SP added.
