Monday 6 July 2015

Neither UPA nor NDA, Who cares,............

  
The authorities at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research handed over the institute’s laboratory to foreign pharma company Systems Biology Worldwide in 2006 triggering a controversy over misuse of public resources. 

“The laboratory was set up by spending Rs 1 crore and was rented out to Systems Biology Worldwide for just Rs 20 lakh per annum. Interestingly, half of the rent amount was paid to the advisors as consultancy,” Nilanjan Roy, who is a former associate professor and member of NIPER’s Purchase Committee, told Mail Today. 

Lalit Jain, who is a former member of NIPER’s Board of Governors, said some precious instruments were found missing from the lab after it was handed over to the company. 
Not only did the institute appoint two former Ranbaxy bosses but also handed over a major department to them. 

The Technology Development Centre, which was set up to train students and offer resources to small-scale entrepreneurs, was handed over to Ranbaxy between 2004 and 2010 for a monthly rental of Rs 16 lakh. 

However, the operational cost of this centre is nearly Rs 25 lakh per month. 
NIPER officiating director K.K. Bhutani is accused of running the department despite attaining the age of superannuation in 2013. 

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had issued a notice to Bhutani in June on the basis of a petition filed by Dr Parikshit Bansal. 
“For the last 15 years, all NIPER faculty members were being issued letters of appointment in which the retirement age was indicated as 62 years.  "As a member of the board of governors, Bhutani increased the retirement age from 62 to 65 years just a month before he was due to retire in 2013.  "Under the NIPER Act and statutes, any change in provisions needs the President’s assent besides the approval of both the Houses,” Dinesh Rawat, who is arguing the case on behalf of Dr Parikshit Bansal, told Mail Today. 

The extension of retirement age was neither approved by the Petroleum Ministry nor the President as revealed by the RTI reply, Rawat added.  

Thursday 2 July 2015

Hindustan Times e-Paper

HC issues notice to NIPER director for continuation in service

1 Jul 2015Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)HT Correspondent chandigarh@hindustantimes.com


CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday issued a notice to officiating director, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), SAS Nagar, KK Bhutani on a petition challenging his continuation in service.
The petitioner, Dr Parikshit Bansal, had alleged that all staff members at the institute were being given appointment letters with retirement age written as 62 years. However, in Bhutani’s case, the institute has made an exception and he was continuing in service despite being more than 62 years of age, said the petitioner.
The high court bench of justice AG Masih has issued notice to the secretary, department of pharmaceuticals, Government of India, and Dr Bhutani for December 11.
The petitioner’s counsel Dinesh Rawat had submitted that in 2013, months before Butani was to retire, the board of governors of the institute increased the retirement age from 62 to 65 years. But as per the NIPER Act, any change in provisions needed assent of the President of India.
And in this case, neither the retirement age of the officiating director was approved by the ministry nor by the President, the court was told, seeking removal of Bhutani.