GAYA: Ending the vacuum created by the outgoing vice-chancellor's (VC) resignation a week ahead of the end of his tenure, department of women's studies director Kusum Kumari took over as the interim VC of Magadh University (MU) on Friday. Outgoing VC Prof Md Ishtiaque will return to Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi to resume his job as a geography professor.The first order signed by interim VC Kusum Kumari was related to the payment of two months' salary and pension (October to November, 2016) to more than 4,000 teachers, non-teaching staff and retired employees of 44 constituent and four deficit grant minority colleges of the university. The payment of salaries for December, 2016 and January, 2017 will be done as and when the salary grant gets released by the state government. Kumari's initiative has come as a huge relief to those college employees who got their last salaries in September.Seeking everybody's cooperation, Kumari said she would strictly follow the university rules for discharging her duties.Meet of 8 interim VCs today:Governor-cum-chancellor Ram Nath Kovind has convened a meeting of all the eight interim VCs of different universities of the state on Saturday afternoon. Different challenges, including academic, administrative and financial ones, are likely to be discussed at the meet.Earlier, on January 19, the Raj Bhavan sought clarification from the MU VC for the premature transfer of A N College (Barh) principal S P Shahi and the removal of Bimal Prasad Singh from the post of A N College's (Patna) bursar. The university is yet to frame its response.

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