BHUBANESWAR: The Governor’s Secretariat has asked Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) to do away with the ‘discretionary quota’ (DQ) for admission in undergraduate courses and get excess pension and other superannuation benefits from former Vice-Chancellor Prof Surendranath Pasupalak refunded.
The direction came following an inquiry conducted by Governor’s Principal Secretary Saswat Mishra on the allegations levelled against Prof Pasupalak. The former Vice-Chancellor was charged with nepotism in admissions to undergraduate courses in OUAT during the 2017-18 academic session and availing undue pensionary benefits through the erroneous and fraudulent amalgamation of past service besides discrepancies in the recruitment of faculty.
After verification of documents and reports submitted by OUAT, it was found that two candidates were admitted into undergraduate courses in 2017-18 under the non-existing ‘discretionary quota’ of the Odisha government.
The two seats under DQ were created in OUAT that year as per the suggestions and instructions of the then Minister for Agriculture and subsequently, post-facto approval of the Board of Management and the State government was taken to regularise the same.
It was also found that the number of NRI seats in UG courses of the College of Agriculture was increased in 2017-18 after approval of the Board of Faculty, Academic Council, Admission Committee, and Board of Management.
Sources said the Governor’s Secretariat has found the decisions of creating DQ and enhancing NRI quota just before the process of admission inappropriate for which the university has been suggested to completely do away with the concept of DQ and not to exceed the limit of seats reserved under NRI quota.
On allegation relating to the recruitment of faculty, the university has been directed to conduct all recruitment in the future strictly as per the OUAT Act and statute. After verifying relevant records and documents, the Principal Secretary did not find any documentary evidence that Prof Pasupalak had joined OUAT service carrying lien in his Birsa Agriculture University (BAU), Ranchi, post.
The proposal for amalgamation of his past service was initiated by the then Comptroller of Finance, OUAT and the same was approved by Prof Pasupalak himself as the Vice-Chancellor.
Since he took a decision himself to amalgamate his past service which is procedurally irregular, the university has been asked to re-calculate the pension and other superannuation benefits by taking only the OUAT service period as a qualifying service.
Excess pension and other superannuation dues already received by Prof Pasupalak should be either refunded by him or be adjusted from his future pension, the order stated.