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.The developments were approved at the academic council meeting for the 2026-27 academic year held on Tuesday, along with reports on audit compliance.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.According to him, the committee cleared audit objections worth Rs 32 crore in the first phase after producing the required records. Another Rs 60 crore worth of objections were subsequently settled, taking the total amount reconciled to nearly Rs 92 crore.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 Several objections related to non-production of documents (NPD) were later withdrawn by auditors.The university has also addressed delays in salary and pension payments. 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.“When I assumed charge, temporary staff were receiving salaries once every six months. Today, salaries are disbursed on the 2nd and 3rd of every month, and retirees receive their pension before the 10th,” Dharma said.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.“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.Salary records and other expenses– Temporary, Guest & Outsourced Staff Salaries: Rs 19.2 Crore– Regular Govt Staff Salaries: Rs 63.3 Crore– Total Examination Expenditure: Rs 41.3 Crore– Dedicated Reserve for Staff Salaries and Examination Operations: Rs 5 Crore- Year-End Surplus & Bank Reserves: Rs 24.2 Crore– Overall closing balance: Rs 23.8 Crore
