₹12 crore non-plan grant for SSUS

The government has sanctioned ₹12 crore as a non-plan grant to Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS), Kalady.

An order issued by the Department of Higher Education dated March 2, 2026, stated that sanction had been accorded to release the amount as a non-plan grant for the financial year 2025-26. The assistance has been earmarked for the payment of pension, commutation, death-cum-retirement gratuity, and terminal surrender benefits for retired teaching and non-teaching staff. The amount will also be utilised for the disbursal of pay revision arrears to employees, pension revision arrears to retirees, and career advancement scheme arrears to teaching staff.

The non-plan grant has come as a relief for the varsity, which had been reeling under a financial crunch. The disbursal of pension and related benefits to those who had retired since 2022 had been affected following the financial crisis, according to the authorities.

R. Ajayan, Syndicate member and chairperson of the Planning and Development Committee, said that the varsity would be able to release the pending benefits to retirees. “We had earlier submitted a memorandum to Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal on the urgent need for the assistance. The Finance department had issued an order dated February 26 sanctioning the non-plan assistance,” he said.

The Finance department had entrusted the Department of Higher Education with initiating the required follow-up measures to release the amount.