A N Sinha institute likely to get a facelift with Rs 26 crore

PATNA: The 60-year-old

Anugrah Narayan Sinha Institute of Social Studies

(ANSISS), which is considered to be one of the premier institutions of social science research in the eastern region, is likely to get a facelift soon.

The institute is likely to have an state-of-the-art guesthouse, director’s bungalow and residential quarters for all its faculty members and supporting staff. Besides, the entire campus is to be repaired and renovated soon. A campus development plan worth Rs26 crore has reportedly been approved by the government and the work is likely to start soon, said ANSISS director Sunil Ray.

Ray told this newspaper on Sunday that the institute, which was inaugurated on January 31, 1958 by President Rajendra Prasad, has come of age. It has expanded its academic horizon by undertaking various meaningful projects relating to socio-economic development and organizing seminars and workshops on the topics of societal importance.

ANSISS is busy finalizing projects on collaborative studies with national and international institutions. Necessary preparations have already been made for taking up collaborative studies on health and nutrition (with Nottingham University, UK), socio-economic development (with Griffith University, Australia) and environmental problems (with International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Nepal). Besides, steps have also been initiated for undertaking research studies on nutrition-based agriculture in collaboration with M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai.

Ray said soon after assuming his charge as director in September 2015, he initiated necessary steps for revamping its academic and administrative functioning. He revived the publication of the erstwhile journals and took up publication of some more journals under new series, including development dialogues, working papers, monographs, internal seminars and newsletters. The publication of the Journal of Social and Economic Studies was also revived.

The director also took great pains in expediting the payment of arrears of retirement benefits and regular payment of salaries to the institute staff. He secured a grant of Rs1.80 crore for clearing the backlog of arrears till 2014 and ensuring regular payment of salaries and retirement benefits onwards. He also made correspondence with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ISCCR) for reviving fellowships for the scholars registered with Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU) for PhD degree. As many as 10 candidates were awarded fellowships from the ISCCR for 2018-19, Ray said.

Some important projects completed by the institute recently include ‘Third party inspection of border area development programme in Bihar’, ‘Organising among informal workers in Uganda and Nepal’, ‘Tracking of children in the age group of 0-14 years under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’, ‘Bihari Identity: An uncharted question’ and ‘Monitoring of the distribution of incentives of dress, scholarship and cycle in schools of Bihar’. There are altogether 17 ongoing projects on different issues, he said.

Ray further pointed out that ANSISS had submitted a proposal to the state higher education council for sanctioning development grants under the Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) of the UGC which is likely to be approved soon.