MUMBAI, Dec. 13 -- The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), a deemed university, has announced a major outreach plan to increase diversity on its campuses across the country. The decision comes after internal data showed that very few students from Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, the Northeast and Chhattisgarh apply to TISS. To bridge this gap, the institute will send faculty members and teams to these regions to meet students and encourage them to consider TISS for higher studies. Vice-chancellor Badrinarayan Tiwari shared the institute's new vision during a press briefing held on campus on Friday. As TISS prepares to celebrate its 90th anniversary in February 2026, the administration plans to mark the milestone with year-long activities. As part of these celebrations, Tiwari announced two major initiatives called TISS Bharat and TISS Global. Explaining the purpose of TISS Bharat, Tiwari said the aim is to reach students in every corner of India. He noted that the number of applicants from several states has remained low for years. "We want to expand our catchment area, and TISS should reach each and every part of India. For this, our faculty will go to these areas. If a professor is from MP, he will visit universities in the state and speak to students about TISS," he said. He added that special efforts will be made to connect with regions with a larger population of vulnerable and marginalised communities. Alongside TISS Bharat, the institute is preparing to launch the TISS Global mission. Tiwari said the institute currently collaborates with 59 international universities, and the new campaign will help streamline and strengthen these partnerships. "Under this, we will record rural and grassroots innovations and present them to a global audience. Our Tuljapur campus will be the hub for this effort," he said. TISS also plans to expand similar initiatives in Africa and Southeast Asia....