Centre orders six-year cap on research tenure of scientists at AIIMS

The Union Health Ministry has asked AIIMS-Delhi to cap the duration of PhD scholars or scientists working on research projects to six years. The AIIMS administration is yet to implement the order.

PhD scholars and scientists working on research projects at AIIMS have been protesting against the decision for the past few days. The faculty members of the premier medical institute have expressed their opposition to the move.

Scientists resent move

The directive issued by the Health Ministry on July 12 states that “project staff will not be allowed to continue or hired to serve beyond six years of cumulative engagement in the institute”. “Hiring/shifting of present staff to any fresh or ongoing project may be allowed and to compete with fresh applicants subject to the above-mentioned limit of six years of cumulative engagement and other prevailing conditions,” it stated.

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Following protests by scientists, the AIIMS administration on July 10 suspended its earlier order in which it had put the recruitment and selection process of research staff on hold stating the guidelines for it were being reviewed.

However, the ministry issued a fresh directive on July 12 to the AIIMS administration, asking it to limit the number of years one can be employed on projects at the premier institute to six years. Scientists and PhD scholars at AIIMS under the banner of the Society of Young Scientists (SYS) have alleged that capping the number of projects will lead to the immediate termination of around 1,400 employees, including researchers and technical staff at various projects in AIIMS. The Faculty Association of AIIMS and AIIMS Nurses Union had extended their support to SYS over the matter.

Congress attacks govt

Meanwhile, the Congress on Monday attacked the Union government over it imposing a cap on the tenure of those working on research projects at the AIIMS, saying this was yet another example of how a world-class research institution is sought to be “micromanaged and eventually destroyed”.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh tagged a media report on Twitter which claimed that the Union Health Ministry has imposed a six-year cap on the tenure of scientists working on research projects at the AIIMS-New Delhi. “This is yet another example of how a world-class research institution built up over the decades is sought to be micromanaged and eventually destroyed by the (Narendra) Modi government,” Ramesh said in a tweet.

“The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, of which I was a member, had submitted its report on the Functioning of AIIMS in August 2015 with a view to strengthen its autonomy and research capacity and capability. Instead, what we are witnessing now is those who do not understand how science and research gets done issuing directives,” the Congress general secretary said.

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Earlier this month, scientists working on various research projects or pursuing PhD at the AIIMS here protested the administration’s proposal to limit the number of years one can be employed at projects at the premier medical institute.

(With agency inputs)