Imphal, November 07 2008: A nursing institute reportedly opened on the pretext of providing training to Female Health Workers (FHW) under the National Rural Health Mission has been banned by DESAM for good.

Speaking to reporters at its head office, DESAM publicity and propaganda secretary KC Ibomcha disclosed that the National Rural Institute of Nursing located at Nambol duped a large number of students through fraudulent means and admitted them in the institute for ANM, GNM and many other certificate courses.

The institute established in April last year opened its first session on September 1 this year.

But the institute is not affiliated to the Manipur Nursing Council.

Out of the total 47 students admitted in the institute, five have left it.

The institute charges Rs 550 per student for every month as tuition fee in addition to the admission of Rs 950 per student while admission forms were sold at Rs 100 per copy, Ibomcha said.

The institute was set up by one Ksh Ibotombi of Mayang Imphal Thana Leikai but staying at Nambol Sabal Leikai and he has been running the institute after constituting a management committee comprising of six members.

However, excluding Ibotombi, all the other members were present in the management committee just for namesake.

The irregularities within the institute came to light when eight students kept in rented rooms by Ibotombi at Nambol Sabal Leikai were expelled for non-payment of rent.

A joint team of the All Nambol United Clubs Organisation, Kongkham Awang Youth and Coadjutant and DESAM searched for Ibotombi yesterday but he went into hiding.

However, he was pulled up later.

During the press meet today, Ibotombi, students of the institute and its instructor were also present.

One student said they talked to Ibotombi after seeing an advertisement of the institute in a local daily.

Ibotombi reportedly told them that the institute would impart training for FHWs under NRHM free cost.

The students would also be provided hostels without any fee.

"Taking his words, we admitted in the institute", the student said.

Under Ibotombi's arrangement, eight students stayed in rented rooms at Nambol Sabal Leikai.

Then the house owner demanded rent.

To this, the girls said that the rents should be paid by Ibotombi not them, recounted one of them.

Sensing something amiss, the students prepared to go home yesterday but they were prevented by the house owner, she said. Then they informed DESAM and tried to locate Ibotombi.

One instructor of the institute said that they came to know about the institute's non-affiliation to the Manipur Nursing Council when they went to the Council for registration of their names.

Since then, they have stopped going to the institute, she conveyed.

Announcing that the institute has been banned for good, the DESAM functionary demanded that all the money collected from the students should be reimbursed to their guardians at the earliest.

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