The University Grants Commission has enforced an eight-year-old government directive to deny increments to faculty members in colleges and universities for research qualifications, leaving the teachers worried about possible recovery of the amount paid to them.

After allowing universities to grant increments to faculty members with PhD and MPhil degrees for over a decade, the UGC has made a U-turn and prevented the institutions from doing so. On Monday, the UGC issued a clarification to the central universities to follow the letter of the higher education department on the increment issue.

The UGC quoted the ministry’s November 2, 2017, letter: “The incentive structure is built-in in the pay structure itself wherein those having MPhil or PhD degree will progress faster under career advancement scheme. There shall be no incentives in form of advance increments for obtaining the degrees of MPhil or PhD.”

Rajesh Jha, a faculty member at Rajdhani College, said: “The denial of increments defeats the objective of promoting research and talent. The bigger worry is that the institution may ask for recovery of the amount paid towards increments.”