Arjun proposes, Kapil disposes

 Continuing the “cleansing” of the Human Resource Development ministry, Minister Kapil Sibal has turned down a proposal for appointing an IPS officer as the chief of the Central Board of Secondary Education.

 The CBSE has now invited applications for the top post after the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) returned the recommendation of  IPS officer Pragya Richa Srivastava’s name last month.

The DoPT had asked the ministry to get the name approved by Minister Sibal, who ordered fresh selection, ministry sources said.

Meanwhile, the government has given a fresh extension to CBSE secretary Veneet Joshi, who is holding additional charge of chairperson, till August this year.

The ministry is expected to complete the process by August-end when Joshi’s extended term expires. Despite the DoPT raising questions on the selection, Singh had recommended her name.

“The DoPT has raised queries like why standard selection procedure was not followed. They asked why interviews were not held before selecting the candidate and search committees were not set up for screening applications and making a short-list,” a source told Deccan Herald.

“But without responding to those queries, Singh on May 15, the last day of his office, sent the note of recommendation to DoPT for appointing Srivastava citing it as an exigency, as the deputation period of the acting chairman Vineet Joshi is about to end soon,” he said.