Lecturers’ scam in NCCT: RTI reveals it all

One of the pensioners who retired as Professor from Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) two years ago began to get his pension irregularly after the Lecturers’ recruitment scam  surfaced in NCCT.

He applied for details of inquiry under RTI Act. The enquiry was conducted by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation after a flood of complaints assailed Ministry.

The inquiry Committee consisted of  Shri A Majumdar, Joint Secretary, Shri Ghanshyam Thakur, Under Secy (Coop) and Shri Sandeep Kumar, Under Secy (pers).

Indiancooperative.com has complete report with it. We produce below major findings of the report

i) The advertisement, which was published only in the Employment News  dated 2-8 October, 2010, though contained certain specifications did not contain any application format and cut off date for determination of age and experience.

ii) Proper system for receiving applications was not in place. Late receipt of  applications have not been recorded. The envelopes in which the applications were received have not been preserved.

iii)  The Screening Committee consisted of three members out of which one  member did not attend the meeting.

iv)  The Screening Committee initially recommended total 138 candidates in  different categories to be called for interviews. Subsequently, the Screening Committee, on its own, sought relaxation in experience, age etc and accordingly recommended consideration of more candidates

v)  The Screening Committee did not scrutinize the applications properly

vi)  Interviews were conducted by the Standing Recruitment Committee (SRC) on 21^st and 22.2.2011 at New Delhi and on 26.2.2011 at Hyderabad. Total 152 candidates were called for interview out of which 119 candidates appeared for Interviews.

vii) Shri R.K.Singh, Chief Director (Coop), DAC, GOI, who was a member of Screening Committee and not a member of SRC participated in the interviews and selection process along with other members of SRC.

viii) The SRC selected total 36 candidates.The proceedings of SRC are undated.It is also noted that at the time of interview, the original certificates of candidates were not checked and verified.

ix)  On receiving a complaint, through the PMO, about the irregularities in recruitment, the DAC,  GOI, sought comments from NCCT. NCCT gave Para-wise comments on 8.3.2011.

x) The DAC on 14.3.2011 advised the DG, NCCT not to take any further steps in  the process of appointment of lecturers till further directions / communications from the Ministry. This communication was received by DG, NCCT, by Fax, at  about 14.39 hours on 14.3.2011.

xi)  Despite receiving the said communication from the DAC, GOI, the NCCT) dispatched Offers of appointment to all selected candidates. All these letters  were posted late in the evening at Safdarjung Sorting Post Office form 19.12  hours onwards on 14^th March, 2011

xii) All the selected candidates were asked to give their acceptance by 31.3.2011  and join at the respective institutes on 1^st April, 2011

xiii)  DG, NCCT or any other officer did not take any action regarding advising the candidates not to join the institutes. Out of 36 selected candidates who were  given Offers of appointment, 32 candidates joined the respective institutes  between 5^th and 15^th April, 2011.

xiv)  Approval of the Council was not taken for relaxing the eligibility requirement of minimum 3 years experience

xv)   Many serious lapses such as absence of photograph of the candidate on the application, because as many as applications of 24 selected candidates were without photos. Due to this there may be some cases of impersonating at the time of interviews

xvi)  Copies of Date of Birth certificates, educational qualifications and experience were not available in the file of the many selected candidate. Original certificates of selected candidates do not appear to have been verified

xvii)  Many of the selected candidates do not meet the advertised eligibility requirements.

xvii)  Selected candidates were medically not examined before allowing them to join

xix)  No verification of Character & Antecedents was done  

 xx)   Attendance sheets of the candidates appeared for interviews bearing their  signatures are not available

xxi)  The entire recruitment process was conducted in highly irregular, faulty and arbitrary manner in gross violation of procedures and without any regard to the  established practices

xxii)  Screening Committee members and members of SRC did not exhibit any due  diligence

xxiii)  The entire recruitment process proved to be very defective and done with criminal negligence and malafide  intentions

The committee found that Dr.T.Paranjyothi, Secretary NCCT and Shri R.K. Singh, Chief Director (Coop) Dept of Agri & Coop, GOI, both were members of Screening Committee were primarily responsible. Shri R.K. Singh who was not a member of SRC associated himself with SRC and participated in conducting interviews without any authority. The Inquiry also held Chairman and DG of NCCT responsible for overall lapses.