JAMMU: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged serious lapses in human resource management at the University of Jammu, highlighting irregular appointments, staff shortages and lack of transparent recruitment policies.
It strongly recommended a well-defined and fair recruitment policy, and the formulation of comprehensive recruitment rules.
The CAG said the university’s human resource management was inefficient, marked by irregular appointments, premature and undue promotions, and deviations from prescribed norms.
“Against a sanctioned strength of 387 teachers, only 240 regular teachers (62 per cent) were available as of March 2022,” said the CAG report on Union Territory Finances for the year ended March 31, 2024.
The audit report flagged the irregular release of advance increments to 26 assistant professors who acquired PhD degrees between December 2016 and February 2022.
This was done despite the Ministry of Human Resources Development withdrawing such incentives in November 2017 after the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, it said.
The Financial Advisor Universities had also disallowed such increments in May 2018. The irregular decision resulted in an additional financial burden of around Rs 1.20 crore on the university, it added.
The audit also pointed out that recruitment rules had not been framed for 77 out of 142 categories of non-teaching posts, resulting in inconsistencies and arbitrariness in appointments and promotions. In several cases, regularisation of ad hoc and contractual staff was used as a mode of appointment, bypassing standard recruitment procedures.
“Lateral entry to direct entry-level posts of deputy librarians led to undue favour to in-service employees. In-service assistant registrars were appointed against open merit posts of deputy registrars, in violation of UGC norms,” the report said.
It said contractual appointments exceeded permissible limits, with 121 contractual teachers engaged against the norm of 10 per cent of total faculty strength. In some cases, salaries of contractual staff for self-financing courses were paid from government funds, in violation of rules.
Irregular appointments of those without the requisite teaching experience were made to the posts of readers and associate professors, compromising the minimum standards set for maintaining quality education as prescribed by the UGC.
In the absence of comprehensive recruitment rules, the university also lacked a uniform policy for career advancement of non-teaching staff.
The audit highlighted that while a three-tier career progression scheme existed for some positions, academic grade pay and Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) benefits meant for teaching staff were extended to select non-teaching posts, treating them as non-vacation academic positions.
Additionally, the UGC’s Career Advancement Scheme was applied to certain non-teaching roles by equating them with assistant registrars and deputy registrars, leading to irregular financial upgradations. “These benefits were, in some cases, granted retrospectively, placing an additional burden on the state exchequer,” it said.
Recommending corrective measures, the CAG urged the university to establish a well-defined, fair and transparent recruitment policy. It also called for the finalisation of recruitment rules for all posts with clearly defined promotion stages to ensure probity and transparency.
A lecturer was appointed on a lien-bound vacancy and was retrospectively granted 2.5 years of past service for promotion despite a five-month break, leading to an undue benefit of Rs 16.25 lakh. Another lecturer’s corporate service during extraordinary leave was counted for increments and CAS, causing excess payment of Rs 19.63 lakh due to higher pay fixation.
A section officer from another university was temporarily deputed against a non-existent post in 2007 and later absorbed as media officer without approvals.
A contractual employee was appointed as an officer in 2009, ignoring more qualified candidates, while another overage candidate was appointed as a landscape development officer in 2013 with irregular age relaxation.
The university irregularly engaged 607 casual and contractual staff (2002-2011) without vacancies, in which a 2012 probe found malafide intent and procedural lapses, and also converted 16 typist posts into computer assistants (2014), appointing 10 and regularising four daily wagers to such posts later.
Further, 26 assistant professors were wrongly granted advance increments for PhDs under inapplicable rules, leading to irregular benefits.
The report underscored the need for urgent reforms to improve governance, ensure compliance with UGC norms, and maintain academic standards in the university.
It further stressed the need to adopt a uniform policy for career advancement of non-teaching staff to address disparities and ensure equitable growth opportunities within the institution.
