Mangaluru : Mangalore University has cleared nearly Rs 92 crore worth of long-pending audit objections and streamlined salary and pension disbursements, marking a major administrative and financial turnaround.
Vice-chancellor Prof PL Dharma told the council that the university had faced repeated reports about an alleged “Rs 100-crore audit scam”, prompting the administration to constitute a committee to verify records and address objections raised by statutory auditors. “To end speculation surrounding the audit issues, we formed an ad hoc committee to verify documents, a step no other state university had initiated,” Dharma said. Dharma said the state audit team and higher education minister Basvaraj Rayareddi appreciated the university’s efforts to produce records and resolve pending queries.
Several objections related to non-production of documents (NPD) were later withdrawn by auditors.
“We introduced the Pension Trust Fund so that those who spent decades building this university never have to plead for their rightful monthly pensions,” Dharma added. The university has also addressed delays in salary and pension payments. As part of its long-term financial planning, the university has created a dedicated Pension Trust Fund and earmarked funds for examination expenses and salaries.
Temporary, contractual and outsourced employees had earlier faced salary delays of up to six months, while retired employees reportedly waited six to seven months for pensions.