New Delhi: Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) on Friday protested outside HRD ministry against the non-payment of pension to the retired teaching and non-teaching employees of the varsity for last nine months.
"In August 2014, soon after the rollback of Four Year Undergraduatre Programme (FYUP), the DU authorities did a U-turn on an earlier decision to grant pension in compliance with a Delhi High Court judgement, and decided, instead, to challenge the court order.
"This has been used by them as a ploy to hold up the pensions of all retiring teachers and non-teaching employees, including those who had earlier been granted pension scheme by the university," DUTA President Nandita Narain said.
She alleged that the retired teaching and non-teaching staff of the varsity have not received pension since last nine months.
In 1987, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had issued an official memorandum stating that the pension scheme for DU teachers would be changed to a monthly scheme and money would be deducted from employees' salaries for payment towards a "general provident fund (GPF)" unless they opted for a "cumulative provident fund (CPF)", which is paid as a lump sum at the time of retirement.
UGC had allowed teachers five months -- between May and September 1987 -- to give their decision in writing. DU, however, granted several extensions for teachers to change their options.
The memorandum was adopted by DU upon approval from the Vice Chancellor, failing which they were "deemed to have come over to the Pension Scheme".
The high court, in a judgement in April last year, allowed the staffers to avail of the benefits even if they had not opted for the scheme.
However, later DU had decided to challenge the HC judgement before a double bench.
A delegation of retired teachers, led by DUTA president, also met HRD Joint Secretary SS Sandhu and submitted him a memorandum.
"We wish to bring to your notice a terrible humanitarian crisis that is threatening the senior citizens of Delhi University viz the arbitrary and vindictive denial of pension to thousands of retiring teachers and non-teaching employees since August 2014," the memorandum said.
