The implementation of a new salary payment system for the teaching and non-teaching staff of state universities in West Bengal will be finalised by the state government at a special meeting with the finance officers of these universities on Wednesday, October 4.

A senior official of the state education department told IANS, “On September 20, we had a similar meeting with the finance officers of state universities and there was a proposal to bring the teaching and non-teaching staff under the human resource management system (HRMS). Now, in all probability, the final blueprint for bringing the teaching and non-teaching staff under HRMS will be finalised at the meeting on Wednesday.”

Once the teaching and non-teaching staff are brought under the HRMS, their salary will be directly credited to their accounts.

In the current system, the state government transfers the funds for salary payments to the accounts of the state universities concerned and then, the latter pays salaries to their teaching and non-teaching staff, reported IANS.

In the new system, the drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs) for these state universities will be bureaucratic representatives from the state’s higher education department, which will virtually end the financial autonomy of the state universities.

Following the recent threat by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to stop the funding to those state universities which operate as per the directives of Governor CV Ananda Bose, who is also the Chancellor of these state universities, apprehensions about the end of financial autonomy for the state universities have been brewing in West Bengal.

Several teachers’ associations have even threatened to go to court in case there is any attempt by the state higher education department to end the financial autonomy of the state universities by introducing the HRMS.