BENGALURU: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has raised objection to ‘irregular payment’ of `28 crore towards examination and evaluation duties. As per its report, four universities in the state allegedly made payments for examination and evaluation duties to even faculty members who are drawing University Grants Commission pay scale.
This was done in violation of a state government order issued in August 2000. As per the order, payment of remuneration had to be stopped for faculty members who are getting salaries as per UGC pay scale. Evaluation and examination works are also part of their work and there was no need to pay extra remuneration, the order said.
The CAG has quoted this and objected to the payments made by Bangalore University, Davanagere University, Gulbarga University and Kannada University, Hampi, between 2009-10 and 2014-15. This issue was recently raised by the House committee constituted to look into university matters. The committee also asked the principal secretary of higher education to recover such payments already made to the faculty members. MLA R Ashok is the chairman of the committee which has 19 MLAs and MLCs.
The higher education department principal secretary accepted the mistake and said, “It is a mistake on the part of the universities. We will direct the Vice-Chancellors of all these universities not to pay remunerations for examination and evaluation duties to the faculty members drawing UGC pay scale.”
Meanwhile, Bangalore University officials are a concerned lot. They are facing shortage of evaluators and fear that not many of them will turn up for evaluation if they are not given remuneration. A BU official said, “If we stop paying remuneration to them, they will not even turn up.”
Varsity Remuneration paid
Bangalore University I18.80 crore
Davanagere University I0.27 crore
Gulbarga University I8.58 crore
Kannada University I0.36 crore