Union alleges illegal appointment of TRI joint director
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, November 30 2021: Claiming that the joint director of Tribal Research Institute (TRI) was appointed by flouting norms, All Tribal Educated Un-Employed Youth Union, Manipur has submitted a memorandum to the chief minister demand ing termination of the joint director from his post.

In the memorandum, the Union stated that the Central government established the institute to make it as a centre of excellence for tribal research.

But the state government is trying to bring down the status of TRI by appointing under-qualified people through stealthy recruitment process.

The union demanded termination of the joint director from his service and fill up the vacant post on regular basis in compliance with all formalities and guidelines.

As per ministry of tribal affairs, the objective behind the establishment of TRI is to make it as a research body in areas related with tribal development, as well as promotion of tribal culture, capacity building, disseminating information and creating-awareness on issues related with tribal.

NITI Ayog and ministry of tribal affairs have set guidelines to make it a centre of excellence under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It is the lone research institute for the 34 recognised tribal communities of Manipur but the state government has been ignoring the institute for long.

In the absence of a regular joint director, the institute has not been able to function in full capacity for the last seven to eight years, the union stated in the memorandum.

The tribal affairs and hill department appointed Gaikhamsin Riamei as the joint director on contract basis without conducting DPC, which is in complete violation of the recruitment rules for appointment of joint director, the department, which exists for the tribal people, is acting against the interest of the tribal people, it stated, while demanding immediate termination of service of Gaikhamsin Riamei.

In separate orders and notification issued by the state government on December 27,2008 and January 13, 2009, the joint director had been made the head of TRI.

The recruitment rules for appointment of joint director for TRI published on December 29, 2011 clearly mentioned that MPSC should conduct recruitment for the post of joint director if the post cannot be filled through promotion or deputation.

Either the MPSC chairman or a member should chair the recruitment board, whose members should be chief secretary, commissioner of secretary of DP, and commissioner or secretary of TA&H.Unfortunately, all these rules were side-lined at the time of appointing Gaikhamsin, the union rued.

It further stated that no advertisement was published in any of the leading local dailies of the state at the time of the recruitment and employment exchanges too did not sponsor for the same.

The DPC or selection committee for his recruitment was unacceptable since there was no member from MPSC.

Moreover, there is no record on the number of candidates who attended the DPC, their attendance record and individual marks.

The result of the DPC was also not published, it pointed out.

It further said that several MLAs and ministers are mounting pressure on the chief minister over the matter, and appealed to the government not to repeat the same mistake of the past government.

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