New Delhi: As about 15,000 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) professors took unprecedented step of day-long hunger strike on Thursday over the salary issue, Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said that he was ready for any kind of dialogue with them to address their grievances, but ruled out world-class salaries due to lack of resources. According to Sibal, India has to work under 'some constraints' and it cannot afford the same kind of freedom or salaries which other developed countries like the United States can afford. He also said that the government would not interfere in the affairs of IITs but that too much of luxury in terms of salaries would not be allowed. Sibal said that as a 'funder' of IITs, the government was responsible for maintaining good standards of education. To the demands of the All India IIT Faculty Federation on withdrawal of 40 percent cap for the promotion of professors and abolition of contractual postings at entry stage, Sibal justified that the cap was an incentive and it would not remain so if the benefits are extended to all. If the IITs can financially become more independent, they can be given freedom to decide their salaries and other matters, the HRD Minister said. "If you look at my budget, it is insufficient to meet the needs of a knowledge society. We must understand each other, the constraints of the government. We need to get together to work the system out," he said.