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Govt won’t spare guilty officials: Higher edu min
‘Monitoring Other Univs For Re-evaluation’
Govt won’t spare guilty officials: Higher edu min
‘Monitoring Other Univs For Re-evaluation’
times of india 06.08.2018
In the wake of multiple skeletons tumbling out of Anna University’s closet, higher education minister K P Anbalagan tells Siddharth Prabhakar that the government is probing re-evaluation at all universities and will not spare any official involved in such scams.
A ₹63 crore contract was given without tender process with many irregularities by Anna University in 2016. Were you not intimated about such a high value contract?
This contract should have gone through the purchase committee since it was a huge amount. Everyone’s permission should have been taken. If it has not been taken, it’s an irregularity. But as far as universities are concerned, it’s under the control of a vicechancellor or a convener committee when there is no VC. This controller of examinations (G V Uma) was appointed in 2015 before I became minister.
The then secretary and chairman of the convener committee had raised questions about the process in which the contract had been awarded. Yet the contract was passed. Will you initiate action against then higher education secretary?
We have already directed action against the university officials involved. We will check which officer was holding the secretary’s post.
Are you investigating if the re-evaluation scam is happening in all universities in Tamil Nadu?
We now know what the modus operandi is. If such a scam happens in one university, we can’t assume it’s happening elsewhere as the CoEs are different. But we are monitoring the increase in marks after reevaluation at all universities.
TOI has reported about the I-transcripts company which claims other universities as its clients without signing MoUs with them. What action will be initiated by the government against such companies?
It has not come to my knowledge. Please send the details to me. I shall look into it.
Do these companies have a link to persons in the higher education ministry because of which rules were bent?
Officials in the ministry might not know about these things. This happens within the university. If there is indeed a link to officials in the higher education department, it is wrong.
The DVAC has registered an FIR against former Anna University vice-chancellor M Rajaram and now against Uma. Both were appointed during the previous government. Will you probe the then minister and officials?
We will investigate anyone found responsible. The government is not afraid of investigating any wrongdoer. There will be no compromise. We inquire into any irregularities that crop up during any vice-chancellor’s tenure.
Are you going slow on retired vice-chancellors facing allegations?
That is a misconception. We check the veracity of every allegation that comes up. We are also taking action against former VCs.
But the action is being initiated by the university’s internal committees, not by the DVAC which has more powers
We are giving the information to the DVAC as well. For an example, in the (ex-Bharathiar University vice-chancellor ) Ganapathi case, we were conducting enquiries against him earlier and gave information to vigilance after verification. We will not spare anyone.
If such a scam happens in one university, we can’t assume it’s happening elsewhere as the CoEs are different. But we are monitoring the increase in marks after re-evaluation at all universities
K P ANBALAGAN
Higher education minister
In the wake of multiple skeletons tumbling out of Anna University’s closet, higher education minister K P Anbalagan tells Siddharth Prabhakar that the government is probing re-evaluation at all universities and will not spare any official involved in such scams.
A ₹63 crore contract was given without tender process with many irregularities by Anna University in 2016. Were you not intimated about such a high value contract?
This contract should have gone through the purchase committee since it was a huge amount. Everyone’s permission should have been taken. If it has not been taken, it’s an irregularity. But as far as universities are concerned, it’s under the control of a vicechancellor or a convener committee when there is no VC. This controller of examinations (G V Uma) was appointed in 2015 before I became minister.
The then secretary and chairman of the convener committee had raised questions about the process in which the contract had been awarded. Yet the contract was passed. Will you initiate action against then higher education secretary?
We have already directed action against the university officials involved. We will check which officer was holding the secretary’s post.
Are you investigating if the re-evaluation scam is happening in all universities in Tamil Nadu?
We now know what the modus operandi is. If such a scam happens in one university, we can’t assume it’s happening elsewhere as the CoEs are different. But we are monitoring the increase in marks after reevaluation at all universities.
TOI has reported about the I-transcripts company which claims other universities as its clients without signing MoUs with them. What action will be initiated by the government against such companies?
It has not come to my knowledge. Please send the details to me. I shall look into it.
Do these companies have a link to persons in the higher education ministry because of which rules were bent?
Officials in the ministry might not know about these things. This happens within the university. If there is indeed a link to officials in the higher education department, it is wrong.
The DVAC has registered an FIR against former Anna University vice-chancellor M Rajaram and now against Uma. Both were appointed during the previous government. Will you probe the then minister and officials?
We will investigate anyone found responsible. The government is not afraid of investigating any wrongdoer. There will be no compromise. We inquire into any irregularities that crop up during any vice-chancellor’s tenure.
Are you going slow on retired vice-chancellors facing allegations?
That is a misconception. We check the veracity of every allegation that comes up. We are also taking action against former VCs.
But the action is being initiated by the university’s internal committees, not by the DVAC which has more powers
We are giving the information to the DVAC as well. For an example, in the (ex-Bharathiar University vice-chancellor ) Ganapathi case, we were conducting enquiries against him earlier and gave information to vigilance after verification. We will not spare anyone.
If such a scam happens in one university, we can’t assume it’s happening elsewhere as the CoEs are different. But we are monitoring the increase in marks after re-evaluation at all universities
K P ANBALAGAN
Higher education minister
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