— ✍️ Prof. P. C. Kanthaliya

The prosperity of Rajasthan has long been rooted in its soil. For decades, the Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (MPUAT) in Udaipur has been the backbone of this growth, turning scientific research into rural livelihood. However, behind the university’s success lies a dark and distressing reality: the very scientists, professors, and staff who dedicated their lives to Rajasthan’s farmers are now struggling to receive their basic pensions.

A Legacy of Service, A Future of Uncertainty

Since its inception in 1999, MPUAT has been a beacon of hope for Southern Rajasthan. Its staff worked tirelessly through the transitions from the Rajasthan College of Agriculture (1955) to the multi-faculty Sukhadia University, and finally to the specialized agricultural university it is today.

Yet today, these veterans are facing systemic apathy. A pension is not a gift or a bounty; it is a deferred wage and a legal right earned through a lifetime of service. To see elderly scientists and retired staff, many in their 70s and 80s, protesting on the streets for their rightful dues is a moment of shame for any democratic society.

The Financial Dead-End

The root of the crisis is the depletion of the University Pension Fund, which was exhausted in 2010. Unlike traditional universities that generate substantial revenue through examination fees and private college affiliations, MPUAT is a research-heavy institution. Its student-to-staff ratio is high because its primary mission is research and field extension for farmers, not just classroom teaching.

To keep the pension system afloat, the university has been forced to take desperate measures, including selling its own research land. A significant portion of the famous Horticulture Farm was handed over to the Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) to pay retirees. However, even this "land-for-pension" model is failing. With 1,360 pensioners requiring ₹6.20 crore every month, the remaining funds will soon vanish, leaving more than a thousand families without an income.

A Case of Policy Discrimination

The current crisis is a result of a 1990 policy disparity. While the Rajasthan government integrated the pension liabilities of other autonomous bodies (like Municipal Corporations) into the state treasury, university employees were left under a separate entitled" University Pension Regulation,1990."

Because this is a "Regulation" and not an "Act," the solution is simple but requires political will. The state government must intervene at the Secretariat level to bridge this gap.

The Path Forward

To resolve this crisis permanently, the following steps are essential:

1. Treasury Integration: The government should take over the university’s CPF (UPF) and assume full responsibility for pension payments through the State Treasury, ensuring parity with other state employees.

2. Immediate Arrears: The government must release funds for the pending 7th Pay Commission arrears and Dearness Allowance (DA) to provide immediate relief to senior citizens.

A university’s true prestige is not measured by its buildings, but by the dignity it affords its workers. If we allow our agricultural pioneers to live their final years in financial insecurity, we jeopardize the future of agricultural education itself. It is time for the Rajasthan government to move beyond administrative excuses and provide a permanent, dignified solution.

— The author is Vice President of the Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology Pensioners Welfare Society, Udaipur. Views expressed are personal.