Incumbents Were Hired Through Process They Protest: HRD Rejoinder

New Delhi, Aug 8 (UNI) The government today denied it is interfering in selection of Directors of the Indian Institutes of Management with ''political motive.'' ''Nothing can be farther from truth,'' the Human Resource Development Ministry said dismissing allegations made by IIM Ahmedabad Director Bakul Dholakia and IIM Bangalore Director Prakash Apte.

A Ministry statement said its selection process has been the same for the past five years and is the very process by which each incumbent IIM Director was selected.

It said IIM Directors are appointed by the Cabinet's Appointment Committee as per policy and procedure for appointment of Chief Executives in autonomous institutions laid down by the Personnel and Training Department.

Each Ministry constitutes a Search-cum-Selection Committee with the Department's concurrence mandatorily including at least one ''outside expert'' of eminence. The appointment is made by the ACC out of the panel recommended by the Committee.

It clarified there ''has been no change'' in the Search cum Selection process notified on March 15, 2002 by the HRD Ministry for appointments to the posts of Directors of the IIMs.

''As a matter of fact, each one of the present incumbents to the post of Directors of the IIMs, had also been selected by the same process of Search-cum-Selection Committee procedure of March 2002.'' The government acknowledged that the ''posts have been widely advertised for the forthcoming vacancies of Directors of IIMs'' so as ''to ensure a more broad-based and transparent procedure.'' ''All applications received as a result of this advertisement will be placed before the Search-cum-Selection Committees.'' It said it has also written to eminent educationists and industrialists to recommend suitable persons for consideration by the Search-cum-Selection Committees, which, too, are free to look for suitable persons.

It said the same procedure is also being followed for the seventh IIM the government has opened at Shillong. Its Search-cum-Selection Committee chaired by J J Irani includes IIM Shillong Board of Governors Chairman R N Datta and L N Jhunjhunwala.

''This post was also advertised,'' the statement said, adding that ''the Central Government has not interfered with the functioning of the IIMs, or any other public institutions.'' It reminded how IIMs Boards have been taking decisions on fees, non-salary compensation to faculty members as per their respective Memorandum of Associations, Rules and Regulations.

Dholakia and Apte were reported today to have attacked the Centre's move to invite applications for the director's post in three IIMs, saying it amounted to interference and an infringement of their autonomy.

The allegations published in newspapers came in remarks on Tuesday at a workshop at IIM-Ahmedabad.

Dholakia said the government, which had been a higher learning 'facilitator' in the 1970s and 1980s, now appeared to resort ''more and more'' to interference in the autonomy of such institutions.

''For the last one decade, you find more and more instances of (Government) interference in the operations and autonomy of these institutions... More significant is the (interference in) appointment of chairmen and directors of these institutes." The government has advertised for the director's post in Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Kolkata IIMs. Candidates may apply to an HRD Ministry deputy secretary.

''Where is the freedom as far as educational institutions are concerned? Do they have freedom with regard to their administrative structures?" Dholakia demanded.

Dholakia, whose term ends in October, said some 60 to 70 per cent IIMs board members are government appointees.

Apte saw ''a political motive in the government's decision to invite applications. They may want to interfere in faculty recruitment.'' UNI MJ RP RAI2030