State relaxes norms, allows payment of provisional pensions by universities

Kolkata: The state government on Friday allowed government-aided universities to settle provisional pension or family pension in cases where final clearance by the Directorate of Pension, Provident Fund and Group Insurance (DPPG) is delayed, providing interim relief to retired employees and their families.

In a communication issued by the Higher Education department to registrars of all state-aided universities, the government said provisional pension or family pension may be sanctioned for employees who have retired, died, or are due to retire between October 2025 and June 2026 if the DPPG fails to settle final pension cases within that period. The decision followed representations from Calcutta University and Presidency University seeking relaxation of an earlier directive dated September 25, 2025, citing apprehension that delays at the DPPG could hold up the determination of admissible retirement benefits. The department said scrutiny had revealed several cases of erroneous pension fixation, including instances where employees with 13–14 years of qualifying service were granted full pension and gratuity. It clarified that any excess amount paid as provisional pension would be adjustable against gratuity or recoverable from future pension instalments.

For employees retiring from July 2026 onwards, universities have been directed to submit complete pension papers to the DPPG at least six months in advance to ensure the disbursement of retirement benefits from the month following retirement. Universities have also been asked to urgently update service books, particularly for employees due to retire within six months, and submit them along with required documents to facilitate timely determination of admissible benefits and avoid the need for provisional payments.

The order comes amid protests by teachers’ organisations from several state-aided universities, including Calcutta University, Jadavpur University, Burdwan University and Rabindra Bharati University. At a joint press conference earlier this week, the organisations opposed recent directives requiring pension papers to be routed through the DPPG, arguing that the change could delay or reduce retirement benefits compared with the existing framework under which universities disburse pension, gratuity and leave encashment after superannuation.

Reacting to the order, Debabrata Das of the West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association (WBCUTA) said the decision to allow provisional pension was the outcome of sustained joint movements by teachers. He cautioned, however, that retaining pension-related powers with universities only until the election period, before transferring them back to the DPPG, would be “equally dangerous” and amount to an erosion of university autonomy. Das said teachers would continue collective movements against any such attempts in the future.