Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Policy -GOVERNANCE: PUBLIC IMAGE

Over two years have Passed since a Series of Leaked E-Mails Triggered Doubts over The Extent of Global Warming being Projected by The IPCC, with its Chief, Rajendra Pachauri, having made to beat a Hasty retreat on its stand over Reports on Melting glaciers. But Pachauri, Disappointingly, still enjoys The Support of Various Government Functionaries

The shame that Pachauri has brought on to himself, the country and the cause being heralded by several genuine environmentalists, is also not new to the government. Union Environment minister Jairam Ramesh had termed such forecasts as alarmist and without scientific basis. Stressing on enhancing scientific capability, Jairam Ramesh said that the most important lesson that India must learn from the whole episode is that there is no substitute for domestic scientific capability.

And more critical is the controversy surrounding TERI University functioning and Pachauri’s dubious role within it. The UGC (Institutions Deemed-to-be Universities) Regulations 2010, notified on May 21, 2010, clarified that the chancellor of any deemed university will have to be either a respected educationalist or an esteemed public figure “other than the head of the sponsoring society or his/her relative”. Additionally, the chancellor should not be a member of the society/trust promoting the institution. R. K. Pachauri apparently has no qualms over going against all these rules in TERI University, which is a deemed to be university.

It is very well known that R. K. Pachauri is the Director General of TERI, the parent body of TERI University, which is a deemed to be university. At the same time, he flagrantly holds the post of Chancellor and Chairman of TERI University, clearly contravening the UGC 2010 Regulations. Will the UGC act to immediately cut this blatant contravening? Not till he continues basking in the support of various government functionaries. While individual motives and an absence of the desired integrity quotient have been a well-known factor behind diminishing the credibility of larger progressive human interests, the support that the Prime Minister and other government functionaries continue to display for Pachauri is nothing short of tragedy in itself.

What is more worrisome is that this is not the first time that the media has raised these concerns. After having announced his total support for Pachauri and the cause he was pursuing, Dr. Singh still shares the dais with Pachauri at international events on more occasions than one. Why is it that the Prime Minister of India, hailed by many as an epitome of honesty and integrity, agrees to stand next to a person like Pachauri? At the recent inauguration of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, 2011 in New Delhi, Pachauri, in the presence of the Indian PM and foreign and Indian dignitaries said, “It is time for us to ask ourselves whether we have done enough to keep the promises made in these global events.” A good time for some introspection, perhaps, Mr Pachauri?


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