Members of the Association of University Teachers (AUT), Tamil Nadu and Madurai Kamaraj, Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Mother Teresa and Alagappa University Teachers Association (MUTA) have condemned what they call discrimination against state-aided colleges in disbursement of the Chief Minister’s Research Grant (CMRG).
A statement issued jointly by AUT and MUTA on Monday pointed out that last week the Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE), the nodal agency for CMRG disbursement, had issued an advertisement calling for translational research proposals for CMRG for the academic year 2026-27.
However, according to the eligibility criteria, it was stated that “aided and self-financed HEIs do not come under CMRG”. This, the teaching body’s statement said, amounted to a flagrant neglect to support research in government-aided universities.
The associations demanded an immediate halt to preconceived and premeditated steps taken by the Ministry of Higher Education to structurally dismantle government-supported institutions that have a rich history of contributing significantly to the state’s higher education environment.
The statement demanded that necessary changes be made in the CC issued on January 27, 2023, which sanctioned ₹50 crore per annum for the CMRG to include aided institutions. The teachers’ union also highlighted the denial of promotional benefits to teachers in the aided institutions under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS), for which they staged a series of agitations, which is indicative of the government’s apathy towards hundreds of students, including those from economically disadvantaged families, studying in these institutions.
Published – 10 March 2026 07:38 IST
