Gandhiselvan Violates Norms, Clears 170 Ayurveda,Unani Colleges in 2010
Josy Joseph | TNN
New Delhi: After A Raja, another DMK member of the Central government — the junior minister in health ministry, S Gandhiselvan — appears to have committed an impropriety that could kick up a fresh controversy. Violating the recommendations of the regulator, the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) and Supreme Court’s specific observation on norms, the ministry has allowed around 170 ayurveda and unani medical colleges to continue admitting students despite not fulfilling minimum requirements. Professional college education has become lucrative business in India.
The decision to allow these colleges to operate was taken following a single page order that was issued on July 15 last year. According to documents with the TOI, the order was initiated by Gandhiselvan, who appears to have misinterpreted the CCIM’s recommendations to relax the norms. The order has come at a time when the Medical Council of India (MCI) had come under a cloud for similarly watering down norms to allow a mushrooming of sub-standard colleges. The MCI is being probed by the CBI and the then council chief Ketan Desai has been arrested.
Gandhiselvan’s order, which reversed the process of derecognition initiated by CCIM of more than 170 colleges, said: “Conditional permission may be given for the academic year 2010 if the colleges fulfil the conditions like 40% IPD (that is, 40 in-patients on an average daily), 100 OPD (out-patients) per day, and only 80% faculty on the same lines as was done for the year 2009-10.”
CHANGING RULES
May 2010 | Central Council of Indian Medicine informs SC that 100 outpatients per day, 100 in-patients on daily average and 100% faculty needed to qualify as medical college. Court approves CCIM norms
July 15 | Gandhiselvan (in pic) issues order, saying conditional permission may be granted even to colleges with 40% IPD, 100 OPD and 80% faculty
This reversed process of derecognition of 170 ayurveda and unani colleges initiated by CCIM
Gandhiselvan diluted CCIM norms
New Delhi: In the backdrop of the MCI controversy, and a Supreme Court hearing into unani and ayurveda colleges in Maharashtra, the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) had clarified to the court that nothing less than 100% standards — meaning 100 out-patients per day, 100 in-patients on a daily average and 100% faculty — would qualify for approval to a college.
In a letter to the department of ayush in the health ministry, dated May 31, 2010, the CCIM said the court had approved the CCIM norms and “complimented the mechanisms put in place”.
Despite this communication, Gandhiselvan diluted the norms just two months later. He twisted the CCIM recommendations to state that CCIM had set 80% faculty as minimum requirement.
In his order — which was approved by senior minister Ghulam Nabi Azad — Gandhiselvan said his recommendation for diluting norms was also based on a letter written to the health ministry by minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises Dinsha Patel.
An officer with Patel told TOI that the “minister routinely refers representations received by him”. He added that a large number of institutes come under the MSME categories which are under his ministry. When it was pointed out that Patel was also the chairman of the Mahagujarat Medical Society, which owns J S Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Nadiad, Gujarat, which has been allowed to increase its student intake without meeting the norms, the officer said, “The minister is known as a Gandhi-vaadi. He does not believe in pressure tactics or any such undue favours.”
The larger issue of decline in the standards of medical education figured in the Supreme Court on May 19, 2010, when a vacation bench, comprising Justices G S Singhvi and C K Prasad, was hearing a case relating to ayurveda colleges inMaharashtra. The CCIM’s counsel reported back to the council that the court had made “stinging observations” on the decline. [source]
