Rebuttal by NEIGRIHMS

Editor, 

Apropos the letter “Sorry Plight of NEIGRIHMS” (ST May 10, 2018), the applicants for various faculty grade A post NEIGRIHMS  who have written the letter may not be aware of the factual position and the Institute seeks this opportunity to clarify matters. It is also evident that the applicants who have applied for the post of Faculty in NEIGRIHMS and has not joined the Institution yet may not be aware of the factual position. Readers can decide the authenticity of the article from the fact that the writer/s has/have withheld his/their name. It may be mentioned that interviews were conducted on May 1st & 2^nd, 2018 with the earnest efforts of the Administration of NEIGRIHMS and the sincere cooperation of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. However, it is our duty to bring the facts and figures before the people of Northeast who are stakeholders of this prestigious institute. The clear vacancy of faculty posts were advertised in the first half of the calendar year and NEIGRIHMS made sincere efforts to complete the recruitment process within the same year. The reason for delay to conduct the interviews was due to the non-availability of the regular Chairman of the Standing Selection Committee for Group ‘A’ posts. The Standing Selection Committee (SSC) for Group A posts of NEIGRIHMS was constituted with the approval of the Union Health Minister who is also the President, Governing Council, NEIGRIHMS. Under normal circumstances, the Institute directly writes to the Chairman, SSC to fix the dates for conducting the interviews of faculty posts when the screening process is completed. However, in the recent recruitment process of faculty, the regular Chairman (SSC) was not available. Hence the Institute has to seek the approval of the Union Health Minister to nominate a new Chairman. Seeking exemption from the Election Commission of India for conducting interviews for faculty posts does not arise as the new Chairman SSC for holding the interviews had not been nominated by the Ministry.

The course of action taken by NEIGRIHMS for recruitment of faculty is indicated below:

1. Recruitment of faculty posts has its gestation / processing time as there are various stages, which have to be completed before interviews are conducted.
2. NEIGRIHMS had advertised vacant faculty posts for various departments in May & July 2017 and the last date of submission of applications was June 30, 2017and Aug 7, 2017 respectively. After the closing date, a Preliminary Screening Committee screened the applications for the faculty posts on September 13, 2017. The screened applications and its report with the lists of eligible and in-eligible candidates are to be placed before the Main Screening Committee on October 25, 2017 at New Delhi, to finalize the lists of eligible and ineligible candidates to be called for interview.
3. On completion of the screening process, the Institute had written to the Director General, ICMR & regular Chairperson SSC for Group ‘A’ posts, NEIGRIHMS on October 26, 2017 to fix the dates for the interviews. However, the Director General, ICMR in an email dated November 13, 2017) informed that she would not be able to chair the interviews as she will be joining WHO, Geneva.
4. The recruitment of faculty could have been completed by December 2017, but due to the non-availability of the regular Chairman, SSC the Institute vide letters dated November 14, 2017 & December 28, 2017)wrote to the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to seek approval to nominate a new Chairman of the SSC. During this period, the appointment of new Director General, ICMR who is also the Chairperson, SSC for Group ‘A’ posts, NEIGRIHMS was also under process. Subsequently, the Ministry in a letter dated March 23, 2018) conveyed the approval of the competent authority to nominate Director, AIIMS, New Delhi to chair the SSC. On receipt of the Ministry’s letter, the Institute vide letter dated March 27,2018) requested the Director, AIIMS, New Delhi to fix the dates for the interviews. Subsequently, Director, AIIMS, New Delhi fixed the interview dates for May 1^st& 2^nd, 2018 and the interviews were accordingly conducted.

Further, some baseless allegations regarding functioning of stores and procurement office are made by the unknown writer. A clarification from the Stores and Procurement Office with Public Relations Office clearly refutes the allegations as baseless and written with mala-fide intent to malign the image of NEIGRIHMS. It is clarified here for the information of stakeholders that there are no machines lying in packed condition in stores. From furniture store only three food trolleys received in knock-down condition shall be issued to dietary unit after completion of assembling, along with one unit of weighing scale. It is further clarified by the Stores & Procurement Officer that processing of all purchases/ contracts are done through open advertise e-tender on Central Public Procurement Portal (www.eprocure.gov.in) in a multi bid scenario, or through Government-e-Marketplace or local purchase in the respective cases, as per guidelines of Government of India and GFR 2017. All e-tenders are processed on the techno-commercially compliant lowest bidder in the respective cases, being processed through www.eprocure.gov.in, and there is therefore no occasion with regard to contracts/ purchases being fixed by the procurement officer.

Further, with regard to Earnest money/ bid security of the unsuccessful e-bidders in e-tenders, the same is processed for refund on priority after the award of contract as per rule 170 of GFR (2017).

In respect of civil works, it is clarified there are no irregularities with regard to measurements, quality of construction materials and works etc. On the contrary, inspections and measurements are jointly conducted between the Engineering Department and the contractors concerned to ensure quality of works as per the tender specifications and correctness of measurements of works executed, before preparation of bills.

It is pertinent to mention that the Institute has continuously bagged the Kaya Kalp Award for the last three years in a row,  as one of the cleanest Hospitals in the country for which the most important criteria of evaluation by external experts, is for the  overall maintenance of the hospital. This is a testimony to the quality of works and therefore the allegation is unfounded, baseless, devoid of facts and figures and appears only to malign the image of the Institute.

Yours etc.,

Dr. K K Pandita

Public Relations Officer,

NEIGRIHMS

Editor replies: The Letters to the Editor column is a platform to address public grievances. It is our duty to withhold names on request to prevent any form of vindictive behaviour from the institutions concerned and above all for those institutions to correct themselves. There is no question of wanting to malign any institution or person.