'Arbitrary' appointment of RMRC officer decried

Though the CAG has exposed the ‘arbitrary’ recruitment of one RC Muduli as the Administrative Officer (AO) at the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), the concerned authorities are yet to take any remedial measures for a fresh recruitment drive in accordance with law.According to report, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on November 11, 2011 had permitted of the RMRC Director, Bhubaneswar to fill up the vacant post of AO.

Accordingly, applications were invited from regular employees of ICMR and employees having graduate degree in any discipline and holding the analogues post or the regular post of Section Officer/PS/equivalent with five years regular service in the pay band of PB-2 `9,300- `34, 800 plus grade pay of `4,600.

As many as eight applications were received and meeting of the Selection Committee was held on January 11, 2013 after repeated postponement best known to ICMR.

The Selection Committee approved the candidature of Rama Chandra Muduli who was working as an Assistant at the RMRC for the post of Administrative Officer. Muduli submitted his joining report on January 21, 2014 one year after the approval of the Selection Committee.However, scrutiny of the file on recruitment of the AO revealed that only the SOs and PSs with five years of regular services in the grade shall be eligible for consideration for promotion to the post of AO but the candidature of RC Muduli officiating in the post of Assistant was considered which was not in accordance with the above orders of ICMR.

While the meeting of the Selection Committee was held on January 11, 2013 the selection of Muduli was communicated on January 17, 2014 after a period of one year which exposed the ‘dubious’ role of ICMR, said rights activist Pradip Pradhan.