Appointments in the governing body of the National Bal Bhawan (NBB) and National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) made during the Congress led UPA-II regime have come under the scanner of the HRD Ministry. While the matter of Bal Bhawan is already sub-judice, the appointments in the NCTE in violation of the norms of the HRD Ministry, is also likely to reach the court.
The Indian Association of Teacher Education (IATE) has taken up its complain to the HRD Ministry, alleging that the NCTE has been constituted in blatant violation of notified norms.
“There should be immediate intervention of the HRD Minister, otherwise IATE shall be compelled to move the court of law for illegal constitution of the NCTE General Council,” president of IATE, PK Sahoo, stated in his letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani.
The appointments of the NBB Chairperson Shalu Jindal and its Director Dr Usha Kumari by the then HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju is now being looked into by the new HRD Minister as a case of “nepotism” by her predecessor.
Shalu, wife of former Congress MP and industrialist Navin Jindal, was appointed chairperson of Bal Bhawan by Raju to “look after and guide cultural and scientific activities run by the institution”.
However, the irregularities of the Bal Bhawan, being probed by a committee, has led to a delay in salary of the staff and academics much beyond the 20th of every month for the last several months.
The National Bal Bhawan runs several programmes for children between 5 and 16 years of age in the field of science and culture. Sources in the Ministry said that Raju also overruled recommendations by the ministry’s own official selection panel to appoint a senior IAS officer’s wife as Director of NBB.
According to the case details, the HRD ministry’s selection committee in December 2012 had recommended the name of Rishi Kumar Vashisht, deputy director of the Centre for Cultural Resource and Training (CCRT), as NBB director but Pallam Raju “overruled” it and handpicked Usha Kumari for the post. Kumari, wife of IAS officer of Chhattisgarh cadre N Baijendra Kumar, was then Principal of Navodaya Vidyalaya.
Vashisht was at the top of the list, followed by Kumari and one Jyotsna Tiwari. The then HRD Additional Secretary Dr Amarjit Singh had in writing sought Raju’s approval for Vashisht’s appointment. Vashisht has since been fighting a battle against the decision of HRD Ministry in the Delhi High Court. Besides the irregularities at NBB, “illegal” appointments in the governing council of NCTE during Raju’s tenure too have come under the scrutiny, according to the HRD Ministry sources. Of the four members of the council nominated by MHRD, not a single member makes the eligibility criteria as per the NCTE Act notified by the Ministry itself. Additional Secretary Singh was then (May 2013) Chairperson of NCTE.
On finding that Singh figured in both the cases, Irani gave him the marching orders from the Ministry immediately after taking over. HRD Secretary (School Education) Rajashri Bhattacharya had held Singh responsible for recommending names without verification.
The Council consisted of Prof. Krishna Kumar of NCERT, Prof Janaki Ranjan of Jamia Millia Islamia, Prof. Padma Sarangapani of Institute of Social and Economic Changes, Bangalore, Prof Virginius Xaxa of TISS, Guwahati, Prof Poonam Batra of Delhi University, Prof Venetian Kaul, AUD and Alok Mathura of Rishikesh Valley School, Andhra Pradesh. Kumar and Janaki were ineligible as they were not the Dean at that time, Prof Sarangapani was neither a Dean nor a Professor making him ineligible for the NCTE council. Prof Xaxa did not meet requirements as he was not a Professor at the time of appointment, sources said.