How can academic research on social exclusion support inclusive policymaking in India? Suggest measures to secure its funding.

Article 46 directs the State to promote, with special care, the educational interests of weaker sections [3]. The UGC's Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion in Universities (CSSIU) scheme, begun in 2007-08, puts this into practice through university research on marginalised communities [1]. Its stalled renewal in 2026-27 shows that inclusive policy rests on evidence, and that this evidence rests on fragile funding.

How research supports inclusive policymaking

• Evidence for targeting: Research identifies who is excluded and why. This helps target schemes at Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), as NEP 2020 intends [4].
• Ground-level insight: CSSIU outreach to tribal and disadvantaged populations brings lived experience into policy design [1].
• Independent evaluation: Scheme renewal now depends on third-party evaluation [2]. Academic centres can supply this assessment of welfare schemes.
• Capacity building: Two-year Master's and five-year PhD courses train a pool of researchers on exclusion [1].
• Plural perspectives: Disaggregated, community-specific studies help prevent one-size-fits-all schemes for diverse groups.

Measures to secure funding

• Multi-year approval: The CSSIU is renewed every year [1]. It should be approved for the full 16th Finance Commission cycle that began on 1 April 2026 [2].
• Bridge funding: CSSIU staff in 24 central universities went unpaid or were paid late for seven months [1]. Funding should continue at the previous year's level until a decision is taken, on the lines of a vote on account, so that salaries are not held up by paperwork.
• Time-bound appraisal: The Ministry of Education said only that the proposal was "under process" [1]. Renewal decisions need published deadlines and advance notice if a scheme is to close.
• Shift to core grants: Centres that pass outcome review [2] should have their posts moved into regular university budgets.
• Diversified support: Ministries could commission studies from these centres. Social-science research councils and university endowments could add further funding.

Research on social exclusion turns constitutional commitments into well-targeted policy. Making its funding predictable, through multi-year approval, bridge funding and a path into core grants, would keep it accountable without letting delays become cuts. This would advance Article 46 and NEP 2020's goal of equitable, inclusive education [4].