With ‘conflict of interest’ plaguing the governing bodies of some of the IITs, the HRD Ministry is considering framing a new set of guidelines for constitution of Board of Governors (BoG).
“Chairman and members should not have any direct or indirect business dealing with their Institutes during their tenure and for a certain period after completion of his or her tenure,” said a top HRD Ministry official. According to the new draft proposal, the Chairman and Members of the BoG would have to first declare their business interest and stakes wherever to check allegation of conflict of Interest.
The matter is likely to be taken up by HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju during the end of this month when he convenes a review meeting on IITs. On the agenda is the controversial percentile and normalisation system that has invited protests from aspirants across the country and the need to decide whether to continue with the new pattern of IIT-JEE in 2014 also.
All the BoG Chairman, Chairman JEE, CBSE Chairman and top officials of HRD will attend the meet.
HCl Chairman Shiv Nadar is currently facing allegations of conflict of interest. The HRD Ministry, CVC and PMO have sought a response on the matter from IIT Kharagpur as Nadar is Chairman of the BoG of the institute. The Pioneer had reported about Nadar’s business dealings with IIT and how his software company is being benefited due to his position. Nadar was nominated Chairman BoG by the then Visitor President Pratibha Patil.
"In cases where business is inevitable because no alternative source of supply is available for the product or the service, an appropriate intimation and proper justification must be sent to the HRD Ministry and Visitor for information and record. Complete details of such dealings should be made public, pointed the official.
The new guidelines would be applicable to the Director (ex-officio Board Member), Institute's Registrar (who is also Secretary of most of bodies of the Institute like the Finance Committee, Building and Works Committee and the Senate), and other authorities, who are permanent invitees of the Board. Further, in what may affect the fortunes of many who used to receive honorary degrees from IITs while holding a post in BoG, the Chairman and members of the Board would not have to receive any honorary degrees, fellowships or awards from the Institute during the tenure and for couple of year thereafter.
The Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTI) are managed and governed by a Governing Body made up of educationists, administrators and industrialists from the country. The Chairman of the BoG is nominated by the Visitor while its members are nominated / selected by the respective Council, Central / State Governments and Senates. According to the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 the Board would be responsible for the general superintendence, direction and control of the affairs of the Institute.