North India’s only women’s govt university: As Bhagat Phool varsity struggles to pay staff salaries, govt confirms sanction of Rs 35 crore

Bhagat Phool Singh Women’s University, located in Sonipat’s Khanpur Kalan village, is facing a shortage of funds that has left the university unable to pay salaries to nearly 750 staff members, including more than 300 teachers.

With payments pending, the staff has been staging an agitation for the last two weeks, continuing their protest on Monday.

Amid the financial crisis that has gripped north India’s only women’s government university, the Haryana government has said that it has already sanctioned Rs 35 crore for Bhagat Phool Singh Women’s University.

Bhagat Phool Singh Women’s University, located in Sonipat’s Khanpur Kalan village, is facing a shortage of funds that has left the university unable to pay salaries to nearly 750 staff members, including more than 300 teachers. With payments pending, the staff has been staging an agitation for the last two weeks, continuing their protest on Monday.

A senior government officer said the crisis would be resolved soon, noting that Rs 35 crore had already been sanctioned to the university. From the sanctioned amount, Rs 15 crore has been released while the remaining Rs 20 crore would be released soon, added the officer.

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Staff members confirmed that salaries for two months (July, August) had been disbursed on Monday, but payments for September and October remain pending. Official sources indicated that the university requires approximately Rs 8.62 crore each month to meet salary obligations.

Officials from the university said that even with the release of the remaining Rs 20 crore, only the pending salaries of employees could be cleared, and the crisis would be resolved only temporarily. They emphasised that the government must urgently release funds for the remaining five months of the financial year to ensure stability.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Employees Sangharsh Samiti is scheduled to meet Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh at his official residence in Chandigarh on Tuesday morning, seeking his intervention to secure proper budgetary provisions for uninterrupted studies, research, and developmental activities at the university.

The Employees Sangharsh Samiti, representing the staff, stated that as part of their protest they have been holding a daily dharna in front of the university gate for one hour since November 7, and will continue until all pending salaries are cleared. The Samiti also demanded a permanent mechanism to ensure the university does not face recurring budgetary problems, leaving employees waiting for their wages. Meanwhile, a senior officer from the higher education department said they are in constant touch with finance officials to prevent such crises in the future.

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The institution carries a legacy dating back to 1936, when social reformer Bhagat Phool Singh established a gurukul for girls at Khanpur Kalan. In 2006, the Haryana government elevated it into the region’s first women‑only state university, naming it Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya.

Currently, the university and nearly half dozen affiliated colleges have around 15,000 female students.

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