Kolkata: State Education minister Bratya Basu accused the Union Government of adopting a “discriminatory attitude” in the selection process for the Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (PAIR) Programme, launched by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).
Basu alleged that, despite several universities from West Bengal meeting the eligibility criteria to be recognised as Hub and Spoke institutions, none have been granted that status.
Taking to his X handle on Wednesday, Basu wrote: “As per the eligibility criteria of the PAIR Programme, several universities of our state are eligible to become Hub and Spoke Institutions. Yet, none of them have been recognised. We strongly condemn this discriminatory attitude of the Union Government
towards West Bengal.”
The PAIR initiative aims to enhance the research capabilities of central and state public institutions through a mentorship-driven hub-and-spoke model. Under this framework, well-established institutions (Hubs) mentor emerging ones (Spokes), fostering collaboration and providing access to research resources.
Jadavpur University (JU) was initially shortlisted as a potential Hub, while Calcutta University and several other institutions from the state were considered for Spoke roles. However, in the list recently released by ANRF — which features 18 Hub institutions and 106 Spoke institutions — none from West Bengal, including JU, were selected. The Hub list is dominated by IITs, NITs, and Central Universities.