A Parliamentary Standing Committee has sought uniformity in the tenures and selection processes for heads and governing bodies of autonomous institutions run by the Ministry of Culture. It recommended that one Member of Parliament be included in the Governing Bodies to provide “ground reports”.
The Department Related Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture in its report ‘Functioning of National Akademis and Other Cultural Institutions’ evaluated bodies under the culture ministry like the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, the Lalit Kala Akademi, the Sahitya Akademi and the National School of Drama.
Lack of guidelines
The Committee noted that as of now only the Chairman of Sahitya Akademi is elected. The process for appointment of the heads of the various other institutes and their governing bodies as well as their tenures vary. For example the term of office for the governing body of the Lalit Kala Akademi was 3 years, while that of the Kalakshetra Foundation was 10 years.
There were no fixed guidelines with regard to the number of members in the Governing Council, the number of meetings to be held, etc. Also, there are no people’s representatives in the Governing Council of the Akademis, the Committee said in its report.
“This lack of uniformity is not desirable as it leads to administrative and organisational inconsistencies among the various Akademis and Institutions,” it said in the report submitted in Parliament last month.
Place an MP in boards
It recommended that the Government formulate a policy emphasising uniformity among all the Akademis in terms of the tenure of the chairman or resident, representation and election of the general council and the minimum number of meetings to be held each year. It said that if required, legislation governing the akademis or Institutions may be amended to ensure uniformity.
The Committee further suggested that one Member of Parliament be included on the Governing Board of each of the Institutions on the lines of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and other such institutions to assist in the working of Akademis and to provide them ground reports.
In the report the Committee said governance issues in these institutions require a systematic and proactive approach and there was a need to enhance transparency and accountability and promote a culture of ethical conduct and integrity within them.
