Professors appointed on a clock hour basis (CHB) in state-run colleges have not received honorarium for nearly two and a half months due to delays in approval by universities. The Directorate of Higher Education has now directed that their dues be cleared within seven days.
Director of Higher Education Shailendra Devlankar, in a circular issued on August 30, directed all universities to complete the pending approval of CHB appointments within two days. He further ordered that honorarium payments must be processed and disbursed within seven days once approvals are in place.
A government ordinance issued on October 17, 2022, clearly outlined the procedure and strict timelines for the appointment of CHB professors. According to this schedule, workload verification in colleges was to be completed by mid-February, no-objection certificates were to be sought from regional offices by early March, and subsequently issued by mid-March. Colleges were then required to publish advertisements for CHB posts by April 1, complete the scrutiny of applications, interviews, and the selection process by April 15, and issue appointment letters to qualified candidates by the end of April. Universities were expected to finalise the approval process no later than May 31.
Devlankar said, “All divisional joint directors organise special camps to receive proposals from colleges and ensure that pending honorarium claims are processed without delay. Once the proposals are submitted, the entire process must be completed swiftly so that professors receive their dues within a week.”
{{/usCountry}}Devlankar said, “All divisional joint directors organise special camps to receive proposals from colleges and ensure that pending honorarium claims are processed without delay. Once the proposals are submitted, the entire process must be completed swiftly so that professors receive their dues within a week.”
{{/usCountry}}Devlankar urged universities and colleges to maintain accountability and adhere strictly to the prescribed framework.