In a bid to end the deadlock with the protesting IIT faculty,HRD Minister Kapil Sibal is expected to soften his stance and offer a more flexible interpretation of the governments pay order notification when he meets them tomorrow. Under this: • The Ministry is expected to announce that the Cabinet has agreed to give a Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) for Centrally funded institutes,including IITs,that will augment the monthly pay. • On the key demand by the All India IIT Faculty Federation that the contract-based entry level faculty position be regularised,the Ministry is expected to propose that this contract can be extended or shortened depending on the performance. And the IIT Board would have the powers to regularise these contracts. • On the notification fixing percentage of faculty by rank for example,10% of total faculty to be hired at Assistant Professor or entry level the Ministry is expected to say that this is merely advisory.to be observed as an internal check. And that the Boards call will be the final one. • On the 40% cap on professors eligible for promotion,the Ministry is expected to argue that this is a purely internal check meant to distinguish between a high-performing and a low-performing professor. And that this 40% cap can be re-visited once IIT Boards devise a criteria for gauging excellence. The Ministry will propose that once this 40% ceiling has been reached,Boards will be free to review this limit. IIT directors are also meeting the AIIIFF on October 3 to take their inputs on PRIS and underline that there is significant elbow room in what has been notified by the Ministry.
