A University Grants Commission (UGC) scheme designed to support teaching, research and outreach on issues affecting marginalised communities has been caught in an administrative delay, leaving several universities uncertain about funding for the current financial year.
Seven months into 2026-27, the Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion in Universities (CSSIU) scheme is yet to receive its continuation order. In a written response to The Hindu, the Ministry of Education said that the proposal for continuation of the scheme for 2026-27 is “currently under process.”
The delay has moved beyond an administrative issue, with staff at some centres reporting delayed or withheld salaries as universities wait for confirmation of continued central funding.
What Is The UGC Social Inclusion Scheme?
The CSSIU initiative traces its origins to a five-year plan launched in 2007-08 and is now operated as a UGC scheme that is renewed annually, from April to March.
The centres undertake teaching, research and specialised outreach concerning social exclusion and the concerns of disadvantaged and tribal communities. Among the universities hosting such centres are Banaras Hindu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, the University of Hyderabad, Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Panjab University.
Several centres offer postgraduate and doctoral programmes, including two-year Master’s courses and five-year PhD programmes, alongside research and outreach activities.
The annual renewal model, however, means that a delay in approving the next financial year can create uncertainty for institutions and their employees.
Funding Delay Turns Into A Salary Problem
The immediate concern is the impact of the pending continuation order on staff payments.
A professor at one of the centres told The Hindu that the university paid August 2026 salaries after a delay of around 20 days, while September salaries had been withheld. Staff members were reportedly informed that payments would be made after the Centre's continuation received approval.
Faculty members also pointed to similar salary delays between 2019 and 2024. According to staff cited in the report, recurring uncertainty over salaries has contributed to faculty and student attrition, potentially weakening the academic objectives of the centres.
The problem therefore extends beyond individual payrolls. When specialised academic centres cannot guarantee stable funding, universities can face difficulties retaining faculty, maintaining programmes and sustaining long-term research.
How Much Funding Has Been Released?
The Ministry of Education has said that financial assistance under the scheme is provided on a reimbursement basis, subject to verification of documents.
For 2024-25, ₹26.05 crore was released to 18 centres on a reimbursement basis. For 2025-26, a provisional grant equivalent to 60% of the previous year's funding, amounting to up to ₹7.59 crore, was released in advance. This took total funding disbursed for that period to ₹33.64 crore.
The Ministry said settlement of accounts for 2025-26 remains under process, subject to receipt and verification of required documents from the centres.
Universities Seek Structural Reform
The current uncertainty has also revived demands to move these centres away from a year-to-year funding arrangement.
Jamia Millia Islamia's Registrar reportedly wrote to the UGC in July seeking the merger of sanctioned teaching and non-teaching posts under the CSSIU with the university's regular establishment. The communication followed earlier reminders sent in December 2024 and March 2025.
Staff members have argued that long-serving employees should not have to repeatedly face uncertainty over funding, salaries, promotions and career progression.
The Bigger Picture
The issue highlights a broader challenge in India's higher education system: programmes focused on social inclusion require institutional stability if they are to deliver long-term academic and social impact.
The CSSIU centres are intended to generate research and academic engagement around communities that have historically faced social and educational disadvantage. But annual extensions and delayed funding can make it difficult to build stable faculty teams and sustained research programmes.
For the universities involved, the immediate priority is clarity over the 2026-27 continuation order and the release of pending support. In the longer term, the debate is likely to focus on whether schemes performing permanent academic functions should continue to depend on annual administrative renewals.
