Modi snubs Irani again, rejects CBSE chairman recommendation

Days after shunting Smriti Irani from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, in yet another snub, Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only rejected Irani's selection of the chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) but also took away the entire process out of the ministry’s realm.

According to the Indian Express, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected the name of Dr Sarvendra Vikram Bahadur Singh as the next CBSE chairman.

The report, citing a letter received by the HRD Ministry on Tuesday from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) said: “While considering the proposal, the competent authority in the ACC has conveyed that the post be filled under Central Staffing Scheme (CSS) by keeping the recruitment rules in abeyance.”

Since December 2014, there has not been a full-time chairman at CBSE. The post requires an officer of the rank of a Joint Secretary with recruitment rules specifying that he/she must have at least three years experience in educational administration.

However, under CSS, names are sought from states and the cadre controlling authority for posts that require officers of the rank of Deputy Secretary and above. An ‘offer list’ is prepared out of these names which is then considered by the Civil Services Board (CSB) headed by the Cabinet Secretary for a particular post. The name selected by the CSB is sent to the ACC for final approval. 

However, this is the second time Irani’s choice of CBSE chief was rejected by ACC.  In August 2015, the ACC disapproved her selection of Satbir Bedi from the search-cum-selection committee’s panel on grounds that she did not fulfil the basic qualification of having been education administrator for three years.