Shimla IIAS to have new director soon: Chairman

Shimla, Oct 27 (UNI) The Indian Institute of Advance Study (IIAS), which has been without a director for the past six months, will have a new director by mid December, governing body Chairman Bhalchandra Mungekar said today.

''The panel, which would select the name of the new director, has already been constituted and will meet on November 16 to recommend names for the post of the director,'' he said at a press conference here.

Prof Mungekar, however, said substantive work had not been affected and all seminars and programmes scheduled for the year were implemented in spite of the absence of the director in the IIAS here.

He said the institute had won a protracted battle to retain its autonomous structure for the search committee, which was to recommend the panel for finding a new director for the institute.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) of the Union Government wanted to have its representative on the institute's search committee, but due to the tough stand taken by the governing body and the Union Resource Development Ministry they relented, he said.

Mr Mungekar said since the search committee already consisted of two members of the governing body and a nominee of the Union Government, there was no need for any DOPT official in the committee.

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