The Higher Education Department has temporarily changed its stance on providing retirement benefits, including pension, to teachers, education staff and officers of state universities. Universities have been instructed to quickly update employees' service books, especially those whose retirement is imminent.
On September 25, the University Branch of Bikash Bhavan had announced in a notification that from October 1, all benefits including pension would be finalized by the Directorate of Pension Provident Fund and Group Insurance (DPPGI). In that case, approximately 30,000 teachers and education staff of the state's 31 universities would receive pension and gratuity, all as provisional or temporary. Recently, expressing concerns about delays in pension settlement, Calcutta and Presidency Universities had applied to Bikash Bhavan to take necessary measures.
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Tighter rules for future retirees
The Higher Education Department announced in a notification on Friday that for employees who have retired or will retire from October 2025 to June next year, if final clearance does not come from DPPGI within the specified time, universities can provide temporary pension as per the previous system.
However, strict conditions have been imposed in that case as well. If it is found that the amount of pension given temporarily to employees is more than the final pension, then that excess money will be deducted from the concerned employee's gratuity. If even the gratuity money cannot fill that deficit, provisions have been made to recover it from future pension or dearness allowance. Even for those who will retire from July 2026, retirement benefits including pension have been made more specific. According to the rules, properly completed pension files must be sent to DPPGI at least six months before retirement.
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A senior professor of Presidency University says, 'The decree to send retirement matters to DPPGI was created during the Left era in 2000. It was not implemented during their rule. Why is the current government so enthusiastic about implementing it? This is complete bureaucratic interference. We have full confidence in the Chief Minister and Education Minister. All retirement benefits of employees must be settled by the university's pension department itself. As it has been happening since the beginning of the university.'
Debabrata Das, Secretary of the Webkutar University branch, said that Friday's government directive regarding retirement benefits including pension for university employees is dangerous as it practically keeps it in the hands of universities until the Assembly elections, with the government's intention to hand it back to DPPGI after the elections.
