Over 3k staff of undivided MU sans salary for 4 months

GAYA: Over 3,700 employees of undivided MU including the employees of 25 constituent and three government-funded minority colleges which now come under Pataliputra University, have not been paid salary for the last four months. The last pay packet received by the employees was for November 2017.

Out of 3,700 unpaid employees 1400 are teachers while the remaining about 2300 employees are grade III and grade IV staff of PG departments, university head quarters, 44 constituent and four government-funded minority colleges. “Low paid grade IV employees are the worst sufferers, some of whom are not even getting proper treatment for serious ailments,” said president of Federation of University Teachers Association of Bihar (FUTAB) Kanhaiya Bahadur Sinha.

Conceding that salary payment has been delayed, MU VC Prof Qamar Ahsan said salary will be paid to the employees within the next few days. He attributed the delay to late release of salary grant by the government. The state government is required to make monthly grants to the university for salary payment.

According to sources, the proposed changes in the mode of salary payment to the university and college employees of the state, has also caused delay in salary payment. Discontinuing the earlier practice of transfer of salary grant to the university accounts maintained with the SBI, the system of treasury payment is being introduced. Treasury payment, according to the sources in the education department will plug the leakages. The leakages account for about 15% of the salary fund. University has already opened a PL account for the purpose.

Sources said the proposed system will be in Comprehensive Financial Management System (CFMS) developed by Tata Consultancy for Real Time Fund track and account reconciliation. It introduces one time data entry at source only and provides for digital signatures. “This module will bring out effective financial discipline in terms of accuracy and effective expenditure control, better management of pension and cheque along with effective payment processing of PL,” said the officials.

Being somewhat complex, a high-level of computer expertise is required to manage the system. University officials are yet to receive complete guideline to switch over to the new system of salary payment, which is likely to face several teething problems. Once the system becomes operational, utilisation certificates will be automatically generated.

For the last several years, the state government has been delaying the release of salary grant on the alibi that the universities do not submit utilisation certificates in the proper format. That alibi would go once the CFMS becomes operational, say sources.

Courtesy: TNN