ANNEXURE I
ARTICLE IN MINT
AICTE head faces salary questions
Posted: Sun, Dec 16 2007. 3:22 PM IST
A lightning rod among educators, AICTE gets questions about acting chairman RA Yadav’s dual compensation
Aparna Kalra
The head of the All India Council for Technical Education, or AICTE, a controversial regulator of engineering and business schools in India whose inspectors are frequently accused of corruption by many educators, is facing questions over his own dual compensation.
Acting on the basis of an unsigned complaint, the chief vigilance officer of the ministry of human resource development (HRD) has confirmed to Mint that it has asked AICTE to respond to the charge that the body’s acting chairman, Ram Avatar Yadav, who is also its vice-chairman, has been claiming a monthly basic salary from AICTE even as he is also drawing a monthly pension from Delhi University.
On the face of it, such dual compensations are not allowed under Indian government employee rules and puts under the microscope, practices at a regulator that is supposed to ensure high standards of educational integrity across thousands of academic institutes.
While the amounts involved are relatively small, the inquiry comes at a time when Yadav is actively lobbying to be made chairman of AICTE and the HRD ministry appears to be close to naming him as head of a body that has been at the receiving end of many complaints of rampant corruption as well as political favouritism in approving or stalling approvals for private institutions, especially during the time Yadav has been at the helm as vice-chairman.
The latest inquiry stems from an 18 September letter, which points out that Yadav, who draws a basic salary of Rs22,400 a month (in addition to other perks) from AICTE, is also drawing a Rs14,000 monthly pension from Delhi University, from where he took voluntary retirement from a teaching post at the Faculty of Management Studies in 2004. The complaint letter was unsigned but said it was from “an eminent professor from (a) management institute in Maharashtra.”
“Anonymous complaints are not usually entertained but, as this concerned verifiable facts, comments have been sought from the AICTE,” said Sunil Kumar, chief vigilance officer and joint secretary, ministry of human resource development.
Mint has also ascertained that a related file within AICTE, started by the financial officer of the body, concerning the alleged double payments, is currently with Yadav’s office and there are efforts underway to promise that he would pay back the excess amount.
It is unclear how restitution alone would close the matter if it is concluded that laws governing such compensation were violated.
Mint was able to independently ascertain Yadav’s Delhi University Pension Number as 01190205198.
Yadav didn’t respond to a telephone request made through his office as well as a 7 December email seeking an interview to address the personal allegations against him.
Reached on his mobile phone on Sunday, Yadav first said he was ready to answer all allegations but was currently busy and that he would be ready “in 15 minutes.” Yadav then didn’t answer several calls from Mint after that.
The complaint letter that triggered the inquiry was addressed to Arjun Singh, minister for human resource development, as well as AICTE and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office. On Sunday, a spokesman for the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) said he didn’t know about the letter. It is unclear if the PMO has sought to investigate the issue.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the HRD ministry said he could not confirm or deny Yadav’s imminent appointment as chairman of AICTE, noting that such an appointment will be eventually made by the appointments committee of the Union cabinet.
A vigilance department clearance would also be routinely required ahead of such appointments being confirmed.
Under current laws, if a retired government servant was to take up a government of India assignment, that person has to disclose pension details to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). This amount is deducted from the salary the retired officer would draw from his new assignment.
“Such people keep drawing their pension but are paid only the difference between the salary earmarked for the posting and the monthly pension that they draw,” said an officer with DoPT on condition of anonymity. The appointees are, however, entitled to all other perks such as car and accommodation that come with the new office. Autonomous bodies generally follow government of India rules on the matter, this officer said.
Late on Sunday, Mint couldn’t independently ascertain whether AICTE, which is funded by the government in addition to raising fees from the institutes it regulates, was aware of the pension issue prior to the 18 September complaint.
AICTE, a relatively low-key organization until Yadav was named vice-chairman, shot into the limelight in 2005 when it withdrew permission granted to the Amity Business School to offer a course in management. Yadav had personally led the AICTE skirmish with Amity, the school told Mint in a recent conversation.
Battles between AICTE and the 6,000 private colleges it regulates in India have escalated since then with several colleges alleging that senior officials of the body, especially regional officers and inspectors, demand bribes in return for approving any increase in seats or courses, or renewing various annual permits.
In a 2 November article in Mint, AICTE member secretary K. Narayana Rao, who is widely credited with trying to clean up the organization since being named to that post less than a year ago, conceded there are corruption complaints against the body.
“Let us be frank on this issue,” he told Mint. “We can’t say that 100% we are genuine.” Rao also said he is trying to reform the approval process for private colleges, which is seen as the main source of alleged corruption at AICTE.
(K.P. Narayana Kumar and Pragya Singh contributed to this story.)
http://www.livemint.com/2007/12/16235450/AICTE-head-faces-salary-questi.html
ANNEXURE II
ARTICLE IN MINT
AICTE’s Yadav gives back pension money
Acting chairman and vice-chairman Ram Avtar Yadav was claiming a monthly salary even as he drew pension from Delhi University
Posted: Fri, Mar 28 2008. 1:31 AM IST
Aparna Kalra
The head of India’s controversial regulator of private engineering and business schools, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), who faced questions over drawing a pension and a salary from two different government institutions, has returned a chunk of the pension to his office after drawing it for three years, according to an AICTE official.
Mint had reported on 17 December that the vigilance officer of the ministry of human resource development had asked AICTE to respond to data that showed its acting chairman and also vice-chairman Ram Avtar Yadav was claiming a monthly salary from AICTE even as he drew a monthly pension from the University of Delhi. The claims were based on an anonymous complaint.
Such dual compensations are not allowed under Indian government rules. An official of the finance section of the registrar’s office of Delhi University said on Thursday that Yadav should have informed AICTE of the dual compensation. “The pension amount should be deducted from his current salary,” said the official who did not wish to be identified.
The official confirmed that Yadav had drawn Rs8,829 as monthly pension and Rs6,033 as monthly inflation-linked pension benefit, from his retirement in 2004 to December 2007, the same month Mint reported on Yadav. The official said the pension had not been claimed in January this year.
Yadav, who is widely seen as having the backing of education minister Arjun Singh, has been actively lobbying for promotion as AICTE chairman as his term as vice-chairman ends soon. On Thursday, AICTE advertised in newspapers to fill the post of vice-chairman. Requesting anonymity, the AICTE official said Yadav gave it a cheque for Rs4.5 lakh in February, drawn on State Bank of India’s Delhi University branch, where the pension of all employees of the university are deposited.
Yadav did not return calls seeking comment. The vigilance officer who spoke to Mint in December did not return calls to his mobile phone. In reply to a text message, he referred Mint to another official in the ministry of human resource development, which oversees education.
Calls to D. Purandeswari, minister of state for higher education, who had promised action if the charges of dual compensation are proved, were not returned. Her office said she was attending a workshop at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.
A recent report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry goes as far as to say the regulator should be abolished.
http://www.livemint.com/2008/03/28002806/AICTE8217s-Yadav-gives-back.html?d=1
ANNEXURE III
ARTICLE IN TIMES OF INDIA
'Tainted AICTE chief suspended'
TNN Jul 30, 2009, 03.31am IST
NEW DELHI: Refusing to either go on leave or resign till the CBI investigation into the alleged corruption case against him is completed, the HRD ministry on Wednesday suspended RA Yadav, chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
There is a likelihood of Yadav being arrested soon. Yadav refused to accept the suspension order and officials had to paste it on his door. It is alleged that AICTE, with approval of Yadav, was still giving clearance to many institutes on back date.
There are three other officials under investigation. While H C Rai, advisor, has been repatriated to his parent cadre, contract of Rabinder Randhawa, deputy director, has been terminated. Om Dal-al, assistant director, has been suspended. AICTE's member-secretary K Nara-yan Rao is deemed to have been suspended from date of his arrest by CBI. After Yadav's suspension, AICTE vice-chairman SS Mantha will hold temporary charge as chief.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-07-30/india/28169649_1_h-c-rai-aicte-ra-yadav
ANNEXURE V
ARTICLE IN INDIA TODAY
AMU: Fish rots from head
Farzand Ahmed | May 24, 2010 | 07:54
Entire teacher-students community of the turbulent Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is waiting with baited breath the outcome of a high-level inquiry that would decide the fate of Vice Chancellor PK Abdul Azis. The two retired judges inquiring into "corruption" charges are expected to announce their verdict on July 3.
In fact if "suicide" by a "gay" professor of Marathi Language Shrinivas Ramchander Siras on April 7 under mysterious circumstances and the CCTV Cameras or Electronic "Eye" chasing everyone, everywhere on the campus have caused widespread anger it's the word "corruption", that too at the highest level, that has shaken the campus. Reason, says a student, after all a fish rots from head down.
It's for the first time in its 90-year-old history that its Vice Chancellor PK Abdul Azis was facing serious charges of corruption. And it's also for the first time that President Pratibha Patil, the Visitor, has ordered an inquiry by two retired Judges into these corruption charges. Yet, says Khurshid Ahmad Khan, a University Court member (also a former Deputy Finance officer) it's strange that despite inquiry going on Prof Azis is showing I-don't-care attitude and holding on to his position. "This indicates that Ministry of Human Resources Development is destroying the sanctity of the university and it's VC," said AMU Teachers' Association.
AMUTA pointed out at least eight Executive Council members in a joint petition to Union Minister for HRD Kapil Sibal to ask Azis to proceed on leave till the completion of fact finding inquiry but even he could not do anything. Interestingly, just before the President ordered an inquiry into Azis corruption cases an independent inquiry by Uttar Pradesh Principal Accountant General (Audit) into irregularities committed by Prof Azis found "there was complete collapse of financial management and the VC and Registrar instead of stopping frequently financial irregularity themselves became part of this".
But this is not the first time Prof Azis is facing such charges. Before joining AMU as VC on June 11, 2007 he had served as the Vice Chancellor of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUST) and there too he had faced similar charges.
However, according to some of the AMU teachers he got the "benefit of allegations" as before inquiry could be completed he was made the Vice Chancellor of AMU. A booklet entitled 'The Indefensible tale of Corruption' quotes an inquiry report of the financial Inspection Wing of Govt of Kerala which seriously indicted Dr Azis of grave financial corruption. It had recommended strict disciplinary action against him.
However, some of grave charges Dr Azis are facing included payment of income tax out of AMU account. According to IT rules for salaried class people, income tax computed was to be deducted at source from the salary of each official but in case of VC and Registrar of the University paid the tax. An inquiry report by Principal Accountant-General (Audit) UP, the VC Lodge was damaged in arson and violence during student's agitation on 16-17 September 2007.
The VC Lodge was insured for Rs one crore but instead of waiting for the insurance claim renovation works were done by the University. Since there was no fund available under "VC Lodge" funds were diverted from other departments meant for development and academic activities.
The University in January 2009 also purchased furniture for VC Lodge from a Kerala based firm at the cost of Rs 39.75 lakhs without tender. Besides, contrary to rules a VC can't avail himself of Transfer Traveling Allowance on his first posting he claimed Rs 81,654 for self and family. Citing numerous such examples, the PAG [UP] also highlighted total collapse of financial management.
In brief AMUTA pointed out that while the President ordered an inquiry into 'grave charges' the PAG has listed 18 points of corruption including misuse of government funds. On the other hand as Vice Chancellor of CUST he had faced at least eight serious allegations.
However the Vice-Chancellor's office declined to comment on any of the charges saying "a fact finding committee is already on the job and enquiring allegation by some detractors. We are hopeful that reputation of the University and the Vice Chancellor will be protected". But meantime everyone on campus feels that fish has started stinking.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/AMU:+Fish+rots+from+head/1/98578.html
ANNEXURE VI
ARTICLE IN THE HINDU
PTI
Aligarh, July 26, 2011
AMU on Tuesday said a CBI probe has been ordered against its vice chancellor Abdul Azis on charges of alleged financial irregularities at the university.
“We have been asked to submit 48 files to the HRD Ministry for a preliminary CBI enquiry. We have dispatched the required documents yesterday,” AMU registrar VK Abdul Jaleel told PTI.
The HRD Ministry in an urgent missive last Saturday asked the AMU authorities to immediately submit certain crucial files pertaining to financial and administrative issues of the university, raising speculations that the CBI has been asked to probe the matter.
Meanwhile, AMU teachers association has demanded vice chancellor Abdul Azis vacate the post in view of CBI probe against him.
“For a free and fair inquiry it is essential that the person against whom a probe is being conducted should be asked to vacate his post,” Mustafa Zaidi, secretary of Aligarh Muslim University Teaching Association, told reporters here.
He also alleged the AMU authorities of “deliberately” misleading and down playing the issue of CBI probe against Prof. Azis.
“Instead of accepting the inevitability of the CBI probe on financial irregularities, top university officials have tried to down play the issue by claiming that it was the HRD Ministry which was conducting the probe.”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2295772.ece