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Bhubaneswar: Lecturers appointed through the State Selection Board (SSB) and working in non-govt aided colleges in Odisha are facing a salary crisis, with payments delayed and, in some cases, withheld since Dec last year.
The lecturers allege that the disruption is linked to non-compliance with non-academic tasks related to the Higher Education Information and Management System (HIMS) portal.According to the affected staff, nearly 10,000 employees of aided colleges, including around 7,500 lecturers and readers, have been impacted. They said salaries have been consistently credited only after the 20th of each month since Dec last year, and the March salary is yet to be released, despite govt norms mandating payment by the last working day of the month.“We are required to upload college-related data on the HIMS portal as directed by the higher education department. When we raised concerns about salary delays, officials cited non-submission of data by some colleges as the reason,” said Gourav Sharma, a lecturer.The lecturers have objected to linking salary disbursal with non-academic responsibilities. “If there are lapses in data entry or compliance, accountability should lie with the principals or authorities concerned, not with all staff members.
Delaying or withholding salaries for such reasons is unjust and has placed thousands of families under financial stress,” said another lecturer, Tulasi Rout.A delegation of lecturers met chief secretary Anu Garg on Monday, seeking urgent intervention. She assured them that the matter would be looked into.Responding to the concerns, higher education commissioner-cum-secretary Aravind Agarwal said the salary release is linked to institutional performance.
He said the HIMS portal, introduced about a year ago, is an integrated digital platform aimed at streamlining academic, administrative and student-related services, including admissions and staff management.“All colleges are required to upload their data within a stipulated timeline for full implementation of HIMS modules. Delays by some institutions are affecting the process, which in turn is leading to salary delays,” Agarwal said. The lecturers have urged the govt to delink salary payments from pending administrative tasks and ensure timely disbursal.
