E-Paper
No agreement to enhance grant by 6% annually: Punjab to Panjab University
Punjab government conveys to Panjab University that there has never been a decision to agree to enhancement in the university’s grant at 6% per annum
Denting Panjab University’s hopes of the usual 6% enhancement in the annual grant from the Punjab government, the state has conveyed that it has never agreed to such an arrangement.
The university annually receives maintenance grants from both the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Punjab government, usually in the 80:20 ratio.
In March 2018, the state had informed the Punjab and Haryana high court that it will be enhancing the grant to PU by 6% in the 2018-19 financial year. Thereon, it had been increasing the grant by the same proportion, except in 2021-22, when the enhancement was 4.81%.
As last year, the university had got an enhanced grant of ₹33.7 crore from Punjab, this year, the varsity was again expecting that it will receive an increased ₹36 crore, apart from ₹278 crore from the UGC, as listed in the 2022-23 budget approved by the university’s board of finance in March.
However, after perusal of the budget, the Punjab finance department in its communication to PU said, “It is conveyed that there has never been a decision to agree to enhancement in the Panjab University’s grant at 6% per annum. As such the department of finance regrets its inability to agree to it.”
The department’s response will translate into a loss of around ₹2 crore for the varsity that is already awaiting ₹7 crore withheld by the Punjab government from last year’s grant.
The amount was not released over non-implementation of reservation in promotion for the non-teaching staff, whose process is currently underway at the varsity.
The varsity in its response has said the Punjab government had been enhancing the grant by 6% annually, and requested the finance department that the amount of the grant for 2021-22 be sanctioned as ₹34.08 crore and for 2022-23 as ₹36.13 crore.
According to a senior university official, the pending grant was already causing difficulties in allowing enhanced dearness allowance (DA) for PU employees. The university on April 12 had enhanced the DA from 196% to 203%.
Meanwhile, the Panjab University Non-Teaching Employees Federation (PUNTEF) has also written to the vice-chancellor, requesting to release the April salary with 203% DA.
