Exposing mass irregularities in the appointments and promotions in the two prestigious agricultural universities of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India observed that the human resources function of the universities was far from satisfactory and was plagued by irregular appointments, favoritism, and inadmissible financial up-gradations.
The CAG further observed that relaxing the minimum standards for appointments and promotions of teachers compromised the quality of teaching and research in the universities.
"Lateral entry to teaching positions from lower technical positions deprived the universities of availing the benefits of recruiting meritorious teachers through open advertisements. Extension of undue benefits due to excess drawl of pay, allowances, and entitlements led to financial strain on the state coffers", the CAG observed.
In its latest report tabled in Parliament, the CAG detected illegalities and irregularities in recruitment, promotions, and allowances in Jammu & Kashmir's two prestigious agricultural varsities- SKUAST (Kashmir) and SKUAST (Jammu).
The CAG has exposed wrongdoings by the SKUAST authorities in appointments, promotions, and entitlements over the years, raising serious questions over silence on J&K's successive regimes over their affairs.
Agricultural universities violate UGC's norms in appointments
The CAG report detected that both universities violated UGC norms for the direct appointment of teachers and filled these posts through lateral entry.
"The mandatory criteria for appointment and career advancement of teachers was diluted. Pre-mature promotions, the inadmissible benefit of career advancement scheme, incorrect pay fixations, inadmissible allowances, and entitlements, resulted in an extra financial burden to the government exchequer," reads the report.
Appointments in violation of the procedure of direct recruitment
University statutes provide for filling up the post of Accounts Assistant by direct recruitment. After undergoing a training course of one year on a monthly stipend, the selected candidates were to be granted a regular pay scale.
Audit noticed that in violation of Statutes, thirteen persons initially engaged in consolidated pay in SKUAST-K were deputed (November 1995) for the training course conducted by Accountancy Training School (ATS), and on completion of training, they were appointed (January 1997) as Accounts Assistants.
Deputy Comptroller (HQ) stated (March 2022) that these employees were well acquainted with accounts work as such the Competent Authority felt it feasible to depute them for ATS training. The fact remains that Accounts Assistants were to be appointed through direct recruitment.
Similarly, five STAs/ TAs of SKUAST-K were initially appointed as Field cum Laboratory Assistant (FCLA)/ Museum Keeper/ Statistical Assistants and were subsequently promoted as TAs/ STAs and further upgraded as Assistant Professors in contravention of the ICAR Recruitment Rules/ University statutes requiring appointment to the post of Senior Technical Assistants (STAs)/ Technical Assistants (TAs) only through direct recruitment.
Appointments in violation of statutes
University statutes stipulate that 100 percent of the posts of Senior Stenographers should be filled by promotion of Junior Stenographers (Senior scale) having at least five years' experience subject to passing the prescribed test.
Audit noticed that in deviation from norms, SKUAST-J had irregularly appointed three Senior Stenographers (July and August 2002) by direct recruitment. Thus, these Senior Stenographers were put in an advantageous position making them eligible for further promotion/ upgradations to the posts of Public Relations Officer (PRO), Assistant Registrar and Secretary to the VC.
Due to anomalies created by these irregular appointments, the University had to prematurely promote one Junior Stenographer as Senior Stenographer and subsequently as Assistant Registrar.
The Registrar SKUAST-J (November 2021) stated that as posts of Senior Stenographers were required to be filled and there was no Stenographer in the feeding cadre, Senior Stenographers were appointed through direct recruitment. The reply of the University is not acceptable as vacant posts of Senior Stenographers were to be filled by promotion.
Illegalities in appointments
The CAG noticed cases of appointments without the adoption of mandatory academic performance indicators, appointments without mandatory NET qualification, appointments by counting inadmissible periods in teaching experience and appointments through lateral entry by irregular up-gradation of technical posts.
The auditor said that though the Agriculture Universities had adopted (July 2009) the revised University Grant Commission pay scales, they notified a diluted version of the performance-based appraisal system (PBAS) for the appointment and career advancement of teachers after a gap of over six years in July 2017.
The UGC regulations 2010 prescribed a Performance Based Appraisal System (PBAS) with specific Academic Performance Indicators (API) for the appointment and promotion of teachers. "During the intervening period between January 2011 (due date of implementation of UGC regulations) and July 2017, SKUAST-J appointed 31 assistant professors, 14 associate professors and seven professors on the basis of a self-devised format with respective weightage of 30 percent, 40 percent and 50 percent given to interview up to 2014 and 30 percent thereafter against the prescribed weightage of only 20 percent. In a similar manner, SKUAST-K appointed 68 assistant professors, four associate professors and two professors on the basis, during the period between January 2011 to July 2017," the report states.
The auditor has remarked that in absence of PBAS, the teaching, learning, professional development, research and academic contribution of the candidates remained un-assessed.
Pointing out more illegalities in appointments, the CAG report states that out of the 31 assistant professors/junior scientists appointed between the years 2011 and 2017, seven did not possess the minimum eligibility of NET-something which is necessary for these posts as per University Grants Commission and Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR).
