In a move that opens Punjab’s 136 privately managed government-aided colleges to statewide scrutiny, the Punjab State Information Commission (PSIC) has directed the higher education department to initiate disciplinary action against its three officials for failing to ensure timely salary payments and furnish requested records.
Records show that Punjab’s 136 privately managed aided colleges have around 3,568 sanctioned teaching posts and 2,473 non-teaching posts, totalling more than 6,000 sanctioned positions.
While passing the order, chief information commissioner Inderpal Singh ordered the constitution of a statewide monitoring committee to oversee timely salary disbursements and statutory deduction deposits across all aided colleges.
The commission requested the principal secretary, higher education, to initiate action against the officials, preferably within three months, and establish a system to enforce time-bound salary disbursements and statutory deduction deposits.
Disciplinary proceedings were recommended against superintendent Naveen Gupta, a senior assistant, and a clerk of the higher education department, Punjab, for allegedly failing to provide records regarding salary payments and arrears released to MGSM Janta College, Kartarpur. Despite repeated opportunities to produce the records and clarify their stance, the commission deemed their responses unsatisfactory.
The case stems from an RTI application filed by a college employee seeking details on pending salary, arrears, and EPF deposits. Though the college later informed the commission that all outstanding dues to the appellant were cleared, the hearing exposed systemic lapses regarding government grants, salary disbursements, and statutory deductions in aided colleges.
{{/usCountry}}The case stems from an RTI application filed by a college employee seeking details on pending salary, arrears, and EPF deposits. Though the college later informed the commission that all outstanding dues to the appellant were cleared, the hearing exposed systemic lapses regarding government grants, salary disbursements, and statutory deductions in aided colleges.
{{/usCountry}}During the proceedings, the commission examined details of salary grants received from the Punjab government, lists of employees with pending salary claims, and EPF deduction records from 2019 to January 2025.
The commission noted that EPF contributions for 2021 to March 2025 were only deposited in August 2026, highlighting delays in handling statutory funds. The college confirmed that government grants had been received up to June 2026 and EPF had been deposited up to March 2025.
Daljit Singh, principal of MGSM Janta College, Kartarpur, admitted that EPF payments to employees had been delayed. “The process had now been streamlined,” he added.
Kulwant Singh, director, higher education, Punjab, said he was not aware of the order, but will look into it.
Expanding the scope beyond the individual grievance, the commission directed the principal secretary, higher education, to form a monitoring committee headed by the director of higher education to track compliance across all aided institutions in Punjab.
The committee is tasked with ensuring that employees appointed to aided posts receive their salaries on time. It must also verify that salary deductions, including EPF contributions, are deposited into respective accounts within legal deadlines, and enforce action where defaults occur.
In a key transparency directive, the commission ordered the higher education department to publish details of salaries paid to aided-college employees on its official website, invoking proactive disclosure obligations under Section 4 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The order elevates an individual RTI complaint into a statewide compliance operation, putting salary disbursements, government grants, and EPF deposits across Punjab’s aided-college sector under strict oversight.
The matter will come up for review before the commission on October 13 to assess the department’s compliance.