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KOHIMA — In a disconcerting revelation, assistant professors who were recruited through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) last year, are said to be grappling with the delay in disbursement of salary.
A recently recruited assistant professor, who wished to remain anonymous, told Eastern Mirror that the batch of 2022, who took the NPSC examination, the result of which was declared on July 3, 2023, had received their appointment letters from the Department of Higher Education on September 26, 2023.
However, despite submitting the joining report on September 27, 2023, many found themselves entangled in a bureaucratic labyrinth, with the salary disbursement process becoming an arduous ordeal till date.
It was informed that the salary disbursement procedure has multiple steps, each plagued with its own set of challenges.
The process begins with obtaining a pay slip from the Accountant General's office, which is often delayed due to alleged expectations of bribes, claimed the source.
The candidates then face hurdles in acquiring Personal Information Management Systems (PIMS) code, with miscommunications between the Higher Education Department and the PIMS cell at Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P & AR) department at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat causing delays for nearly half of the candidates till date, added the source.
It’s alleged that the ordeal continues as candidates are required to create accounts through the National Pension Scheme (NPS) portal.
Even after completing all these steps, some assistant professors are still left without salaries, as the Higher Education Department fails to update the NPS portal promptly, despite completing all necessary paperwork on its end, alleged the source.
Meanwhile, the newly recruited post-graduate teachers (PGTs), whose results were declared along with that of the assistant professors, were said to have received appointment letters only recently.
In a stark contrast, candidates who cleared exams in July last year through the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB), were said to have started receiving salaries as early as December, causing frustration to the newly appointed assistant professors, who have been facing financial issues to the delay in payment.
The delay in disbursement of salary to newly appointed government employees is often considered as a norm in Nagaland, lamented the source.