The Federation of University Teachers Associations of Bihar (FUTAB) on Wednesday strongly criticized the state government's handling of salary and pension payments, demanding a robust mechanism to ensure timely disbursal. This comes as a technical glitch has delayed payments to over 6,000 teaching and non-teaching employees of Magadh University (MU).
FUTAB Warns of Statewide Protest
Terming the move as having “flawed intent and an empty treasury,” FUTAB warned of a statewide protest at university headquarters on July 1 if corrective steps are not taken. FUTAB working president Kanhaiya Bahadur Sinha and general secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh stated that the government, following the chief minister’s intervention, released an ad hoc grant for salary and pension covering three months (March–May) on Tuesday night. However, the funds were routed through a newly created pay and pension ledger by the higher education department, which is not yet fully operational.
Technical Glitch Hinders Payments
They explained that the new ledger cannot function until all employee and pensioner IDs from the old system are migrated, a process likely to take several days. “Had universities been informed in advance, the transition could have been smoother,” they said, alleging administrative lapses. The issue is particularly acute at Magadh University in Bodh Gaya, where despite the release of Rs 147.28 crore on June 12 for salary and pension payments, disbursal has been stalled due to the same technical problem. Payments have been pending since February 2026, leaving employees and pensioners waiting for nearly four months.
Magadh University Registrar Confirms Delays
MU registrar Binod Kumar Mangalam confirmed the glitch, stating that funds were transferred to a new PL ledger, replacing the earlier one linked to individual IDs. Around 300 IDs are being mapped daily, and the process may take up to two weeks. He clarified that gratuity, provident fund, and leave encashment payments would remain unaffected as they are maintained separately, with retirees to be prioritized. MU has over 4,500 pensioners, besides around 450 teachers and nearly 800 non-teaching staff. Officials attributed the high pension burden to past bifurcations, under which several colleges were carved out to form new universities.
