Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 4: An inquiry into the fraudulent Dawasaz certificates issued by the Director Indian System of Medicines (ISM), Dr Abdul Kabir Dar, has confirmed that these certificates were issued by him fraudulently and on the basis of which they were employed in various dispensaries across the State.
The inquiry report has found that letters provided by Dr Kabir to save himself from legal action has been found fraud. It may be mentioned here that these letters were also produced before the court, investigating agency and inquiry officer. “The Director ISM vide letter No. DISM/2457 dated 3-7-2008 intimated Administrative Department that the nomination list of 994 Dawasaz candidates forwarded by Administrative Department includes names of 24 candidates who have already received training in the past which needs to be re-examined. He further added that in compliance to the Administrative Department letter dated 27-06-2008 nomination list is forwarded to Director Information for publication of the same in the local dailies. The list includes the names of 24 candidates out of which names of private respondents also figured in the list. It is pertinent to mention here that no such letter is either received or processed in the Administrative Department”, reads the report.
The Special Secretary to Health and Medical Education Department, Rajinder Singh Tara, who was appointed by the Government as inquiry officer (Order No. 345-HME of 2015 dated 24-08-2015) in his report, says that Dr Kabir, has been training and issuing certificates at his own level without taking approval from the government.
“It seems that Directorate of ISM has made the nomination of candidates at its own level and conducted the training/ examination in various ISM dispensaries and issued certificates in their favour”, report says.
“In this regard, the notings of then secretary, H&ME in the year 2008 available in the file bearing No. HD/51/ISM/2008 where Secretary, H&ME clearly mentions that the Director ISM has been already holding training of Dawasaz at his own level without any formal order”, reads the report.
The report says that Dr Kabir was warned by Government for bypassing the normal channels of hierarchy. “In 2007, Director ISM directly approached the Minister, H&ME and submitted a proposal for norms/rules for conduct of trainings/exams. The authorities had taken a serious note of it and Director, ISM was warned to desist from any correspondence with higher authorities, bypassing the normal channels of hierarchy vide letter dated 27-06-2007”, reads the report.
The inquiry has found that out of over 1100 certificates issued by the Directorate ISM, 451certificates are genuine. “So far as the issuance of hundreds of fictitious certificates is concerned, it is submitted that as per the record made available by the Deputy Director ISM, a total of 1189 nominations have been made from the year 1992 to till date 2007-2008 (541 = Jammu division and 648= Kashmir division).
The Deputy Director ISM Jammu has intimated that out of 541 candidates, 499 certificates have been issued. He produced copies of 196 diploma certificates belonging to different years. The Deputy Director ISM Kashmir has provided diploma certificates of 255 candidates. A perusal of the certificates of Jammu and Kashmir shows that they seem to have been genuinely issued. Moreover, Deputy Director ISM Kashmir gave in writing that these are genuine. For the rest in absence of the record, it is not possible to comment upon their genuineness or otherwise”, report reads.
The report highlights the casualness and adhocism in the ISM Directorate for not keeping the records of the successful and failed candidates. “It needs to mention here that even for 63 candidates whose exams was conducted between 2003 to 2007 and whose results were declared on January 6, 2009, the Deputy Director ISM Kashmir could not inform as to how many candidates were declared successful and how many were unsuccessful. This shows the casualness and adhocism prevalent in the entire process”, reads the report.
The report says that the Director ISM, Dr Kabir was issuing the nominations as there is no record who has nominated the candidates. “As per the details/records made available by the Deputy Directors of ISM, the whole process of nominations has been done at the level of Director ISM and they have not been able to even produce the record with regard to the authority who have nominated the candidates including the candidates mentioned in the petition in the absence of any norms, guidelines, criteria, rules regulating the process”, reads the report.
The report says that the issuance of nomination orders and trainings without the approval of Administrative Department can’t withstand legal scrutiny and is also bad in the eyes of law.
To the utter disregard for the court orders under which the inquiry was ordered by the Government, the inquiry officer found the ISM dispensary locked when he went there to check the training records of those candidates who underwent training in the dispensary. “The undersigned along with Deputy Director ISM Kashmir also visited ISM Dispensary Fateh Kadal Srinagar to check the training record of those candidates who were reportedly trained in this ISM Dispensary but the Dispensary was closed”, reads the report.
It may be mentioned here that Ministry of Health and Medical Education has posted the tainted Dr Kabir on six top posts in the Department of Indian System of medicines (Health).
He was posted as Director General of ISM Jammu and Kashmir, last year when he was holding 5 more posts of Director ISM J&K, Deputy Director ISM Kashmir Division, Chief Executive Officer State Medicinal Plants Board, Member Secretary Vanaspati Van Society and Mission Director AYUSH for last over a decade despite several cases against him. Sources said that he is being shielded by top police officers and politicians despite half a dozen cases pending against him.
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