The government has proposed to make the selection of incumbent IIT directors competitive if they want a second term, four years after the previous UPA dispensation gave serving directors the opportunity for a second term without being pitted against competitors. Under the policy now, the government asks the incumbent director of an IIT a few months before his term ends if he is interested in continuing for another five years. If so, the incumbent’s first term is evaluated by a search-cum-selection committee and he is reappointed if the performance is assessed as outstanding. In such a scenario, the post is not advertised as vacant and the director does not compete with other candidates for the job. The Indian Express has learnt that the government is keen to change the current selection process and fill up director’s post only through advertisements, which was the norm before September 2013. A proposal to this effect has been moved in the HRD Ministry. “The current selection process is not objective,” said a ministry source. According to sources, the proposal will need HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar’s nod and might even have to be placed before the next IIT Council meeting for approval. Javadekar is the chairman of the council, the highest decision making body for all 23 IITs. After September 2013, the government has reappointed directors of five IITs —- Bombay (Devang Khakhar), Hyderabad (U B Desai), Gandhinagar (S K Jain), Madras (Bhaskar Ramamurthi) and Indore (Pradeep Mathur) — for a second term without inviting applications. This was justified on the ground that it would provide the institutes more stability. The change in the selection procedure has been mooted at a time when the government has kickstarted the appointment process for IIT-Dhanbad (formerly ISM Dhanbad) and IIT Kanpur. IIT Dhanbad director D C Panigrahi and Kanpur director Indranil Manna had expressed interest in a second term. The search committee had visited the Dhanbad institute and reviewed Panigrahi’s performance but hasn’t made any recommendation. Manna is learnt to have written to the government withdrawing his consent for a second term.
