Speak only with our nod, government tells UGC chairman Ved Prakash

NEW DELHI: The HRD ministry has severely reprimanded UGC chairperson Ved Prakash for his outbursts against Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) before Parliament's standing committee on May 26 and asked him to take prior permission to articulate views contrary to the government's policies.

Criticizing the flagship programme at the meeting, Prakash said because of it the programme money was not reaching the institutions directly with the state governments having become "middlemen".

In a terse letter, former education secretary SN Mohanty, who has since been transferred, told Prakash that "government's position including policy is articulated in unison and no discordant note is voiced". Reminding him that there is a set convention in such meetings, Mohanty said this should be kept in mind "for future interactions with the Parliamentary bodies".

"Any departure from the confirmed policy position of the government, if it is to be articulated, must be done with prior permission of the secretary," said the letter written a day after the incident.

A source said, "The UGC chairperson's criticism caused enough consternation in the ministry. Many senior officials had protested against Prakash's behaviour and wanted that it should not be repeated in future."

"Heads of autonomous bodies go for standing committee meetings to assist the secretary, not to take adversarial position," a senior official said. HRD minister Smriti Irani was also later briefed about the incident.
Prakash told the parliamentary panel that RUSA whose primary function is to fund state universities and ensure that systemic reforms are carried out, a job that was being done by the UGC, is undermining the Commission. His angst was that the funding of RUSA could adversely affect UGC's endeavour to push for research and innovation. Prakash's argument was disputed by HRD officials in the meeting.

RUSA is now carrying out three functions of UGC, including funding of model degree colleges. Only 60 of these colleges have been set up though the plan is to have one each in 374 educationally backward districts.

RUSA is now also involved in financing upgradation of colleges to universities and disburses infrastructure grant. More than 30 states and union territories have committed to abide by conditions set by RUSA. More than 20 states have set up state higher education council, the first condition by RUSA. States also have to move to semester system and carry out other reforms.