Punjabi University contract professors intensify protest demanding seventh Pay Commission implementation
Patiala
:
Punjabi University
's
contract assistant professors
ramped up their protest on Friday here, staging a large demonstration at the vice-chancellor's office, demanding the implementation of the
seventh Pay Commission
. They also presented a memorandum to Punjab's social justice, empowerment, and minorities minister, Dr Baljit Kaur, who was at an event on the campus.
The minister acknowledged the legitimacy of the professors' demands and assured them that the state govt would fulfil those. She directed V-C Karamjit Singh to address the issue. Despite this, the university registrar rejected the demands, offering little explanation, defying both the minister's and the V-C's support for the teachers' cause.
Baljinder Singh, a representative from the Punjabi University Contract Teachers' Association (Pucta), said: "The regular, ad-hoc, and guest members of the faculty get paid under University Grants Commission's 2018 guidelines, which include the seventh Pay Commission. However, contract assistant professors are still paid based on the sixth Pay Commission's recommendations." He pointed out that all members of the faculty, including contractal staff, at Panjab University in Chandigarh are paid under the seventh Pay Commission.
With 150-odd highly qualified contractual professors working across the Patiala university's main campus, affiliated colleges, and neighbourhood campuses, the association has also pushed for regularisation of their employment. "Until then, at the very least, we demand the implementation of the seventh Pay Commission," Baljinder Singh added.
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Tensions escalated when campus security blocked the protesters when they tried to meet the V-C again. The situation intensified when the professors surrounded the V-C's vehicle as he attempted to leave, leading to a second meeting invitation. Following this, the V-C forwarded the proposal to the Punjab finance department for approval, with a promise of resolution within 10 days. Pucta president Taranjit Kaur affirmed that the protest would continue until contract teachers received salaries under the seventh Pay Commission.
MSID:: 120623538 413 |
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Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
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S D Pradhan has served as chairman of India's Joint Intelligence Committee. He has also been the country's deputy national security adviser. He was chairman of the Task Force on Intelligence Mechanism (2008-2010), which was constituted to review the functioning of the intelligence agencies. He has taught at the departments of defence studies and history at the Punjabi University, Patiala. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Illinois, US, in the department of arms control and disarmament studies. The ministry of defence had utilized his services for the preparation of official accounts of the 1971 war and the counterinsurgency operations in the northeast. In the JIC/National Security Council secretariat, he was closely involved with the preparation of the reports of the Kargil Review Committee and the Group of Ministers on national security as also with the implementation of their recommendations. His publications include two books and several articles. LESS ... 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JF-17 fired Chinese CM-401 hypersonic missiles, which were used to strike Indian logistical depots and mechanised brigades near Pathankot and Gurdaspur. These were also neutralised by the Indian air defence system. Pakistan employed Chinese-made CH-4 drones for reconnaissance and precision strikes. Despite their capabilities, these drones were largely neutralised by India's advanced air defence systems, including the S-400. Third, China placed five satellites for exclusive use in observing Indian military assets. Reports suggest that China provided real-time battlefield surveillance support and advice to Pakistan and coordinates ground and air-level military operations. An Indian research group found out that China assisted Pakistan in optimising its defence systems to better detect the Indian Army's troop movements and deployments during the four-day conflict. It included reorganising Pakistan's radars and air defence systems and adjusting satellite coverage over India. Fourth, the detection of a banned Huawei satellite phone, with messaging services connected to China's Beidou satellite navigation system in Pahalgam after the terror attacks, revealed a close nexus between the Pak Army/terrorists and the Chinese armed forces. The above inputs indicated that Beijing's involvement was far more extensive than originally assessed. Fifth, China actively engaged in information warfare to support Pakistan's narrative. Chinese state media outlets echoed Pakistan's denials of involvement in the Pahalgam attack and suggested alternative narratives, including labelling the attack as a potential 'false flag' operation by India. Chinese-controlled social media platforms disseminated unverified claims of Pakistani military successes, such as the downing of Indian Rafale jets, aiming to undermine India's military reputation and promote Chinese weaponry. 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Their underperformance must be unsettling to China. Pakistan's losses of China's aircraft and air defence systems raise questions about the reliability of its defence equipment in real-world combat scenarios. This will have an impact on the Chinese export of weapons and systems. China is using Pakistan as a tool for its hegemonic and expansionist designs. Pakistan occupies the central position in the Chinese geopolitical calculus for two reasons. First, Pakistan's antipathy towards India allows China to use it as its proxy to keep pressure on India, which it considers an obstacle to achieving its regional ambitions. Second, Pakistan constitutes an important country in the Chinese string of pearls around India. Pakistan's geographical position allows it to have access to the Indian Ocean and thereby overcome its Malacca choke point problem. Besides, China may have viewed India's economic growth as a threat to its dwindling economy. The plan of some manufacturing units moving from China to India must have been unnerving. Hence, China may have asked Pakistan to escalate terror attacks in India to project that this country is not safe for investments. Given the above, China is likely to continue to provide support to Pakistan, which will encourage Pakistan to continue with its policy of bleeding India through a thousand cuts. India has done well by announcing its policy that it will react strongly in case of any terrorist attack, and would not differentiate between the state sponsors and terrorists and would not accept the nuclear bluff. India must maintain its firm retaliatory policy and continue to enhance global narrative building efforts. India needs to pay urgent attention to the dimension of cognitive warfare. This is a process to weaponise public opinion of targets and drive them to act in the initiator's interest. The victims of this process start supporting the adversary's narrative after their minds are manipulated. This can undermine national resilience. A comprehensive study should be made to develop a robust strategy to counter this menace. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Consequences of Munir's promotion to Field Marshal: Pakistan army echoes terrorist rhetoric
S D Pradhan has served as chairman of India's Joint Intelligence Committee. He has also been the country's deputy national security adviser. He was chairman of the Task Force on Intelligence Mechanism (2008-2010), which was constituted to review the functioning of the intelligence agencies. He has taught at the departments of defence studies and history at the Punjabi University, Patiala. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Illinois, US, in the department of arms control and disarmament studies. The ministry of defence had utilized his services for the preparation of official accounts of the 1971 war and the counterinsurgency operations in the northeast. In the JIC/National Security Council secretariat, he was closely involved with the preparation of the reports of the Kargil Review Committee and the Group of Ministers on national security as also with the implementation of their recommendations. His publications include two books and several articles. LESS ... 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Sustained engagement with international stakeholders could generate pressure on Islamabad and create space for democratic forces within Pakistan to challenge military dominance. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Time of India
Punjab government not to purchase banned Pusa 44 variety of paddy: Chief minister Bhagwant Mann
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