E-Paper
AU approves gratuity for teachers, staff appointed after 2004
Allahabad University extends gratuity benefits to teachers and employees under NPS post-2004. EC makes key decisions, including addressing SC case. VP's tenure achievements noted.
The teachers and employees of Allahabad University (AU) and its constituent colleges appointed after 2004 would now receive the benefit of gratuity under the New Pension Scheme (NPS).
A decision in this regard was taken in a meeting of the Executive Council—the apex decision-making body of the central varsity—chaired by vice-chancellor Prof Sangita Srivastava in the North Hall on Saturday.
Gratuity for teachers and non-teaching staff under the NPS was allowed after a UGC notification in this regard, said AU officials.
AU PRO Prof Jaya Kapoor said the decision would benefit around 1,000 teachers and non-teaching staff of the university and its constituent colleges. Earlier, employees covered under the NPS did not get benefit of the gratuity.
Several other important decisions were also taken during the meeting.
The EC addressed a Supreme Court case involving Deepshikha Sonkar, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics. The court upheld the Allahabad High Court’s decision in the case, deeming it frivolous and politically motivated. The EC resolved that a show cause notice would now be issued to Sonkar seeking explanation for her actions, said officials of the university.
Also, the services of 25 teachers from the departments of Centre for Behavioral and Cognitive Science (CBCS), English, Statistics, Psychology, National Centre of Experimental Petrology and Mineralogy (NCEMP) and 269 non-teaching staff were confirmed by EC following the completion of their probationary period.
In another significant move, the remuneration for exam-related tasks such as evaluation, paper setting, and invigilation was revised and will be implemented immediately, as proposed by the Examination Committee and approved by the Academic Council, said Prof Kapoor.
The meeting highlighted vice chancellor Prof Srivastava’s notable work over her 3.5-year tenure. Achievements include hiring 320 new faculty members, 375 non-teaching staff, and promoting 103 teachers and 127 non-teaching staff. Significant infrastructure developments have also occurred, including new buildings for the Chemistry Department, a lecture theatre complex, and an extension building for the Central Library, as well as the implementation of the new education policy, which includes six interdisciplinary courses and skill-based electives.
AU registrar Prof NK Shukla, and Dipali Pant Joshi, former executive director of the Reserve Bank of India, presented the VC with a bouquet to acknowledge her contributions.
