LUCKNOW, Sept. 4 -- The Uttar Pradesh higher education department has issued a directive granting pension relief to university and college staff who retire on June 30 or December 31. According to the order, issued by special secretary Nidhi Srivastava on September 2, such employees will be eligible for a notional increment that would have otherwise been due the very next day -- July 1 or January 1. This increment will be added to their last drawn salary for calculating pension and gratuity. The benefit, already extended to state government employees through a finance department order dated June 12, 2024, will now apply to staff of state universities and government-aided colleges as well. The policy has been made effective retrospectively from January 1, 2006. However, the government order clarifies that no arrears will be paid for the period before its issuance. The directive has been circulated to all state university vice-chancellors and the director of higher education and is effective with immediate effect....