The Union Government is mulling a “gradual disengagement” of the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) from the Ministry of Rural Development to make it self-sustaining.
Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan was responding to Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi’s unstarred question in the Lok Sabha.
Mr. Owaisi sought to know whether the MoRD intends to privatise the NIRDPR, and sought to know the rationale behind the move. He also sought information about pensioners of the NIRDPR, and if stakeholder consultations were had.
Mr. Paswan stated that there is a proposal entailing a gradual disengagement of financial support and administrative control of the NIRDPR from the MoRD. The move is expected to transform the institute into a centre of excellence or deemed university charged with training and research.
A study by the Administrative Staff College of India showed that there are 221 employees at the NIRDPR and 331 pensioners. Currently situated in Rajendra Nagar, the NIRDPR’s first iteration was in 1958 in Mussoorie as the National Institute for Community Development. The campus was moved to Hyderabad in 1965, and the institute was renamed as National Institute for Rural Development in 1977.
Vacancies in ASI
In another question, Mr Owaisi, who is the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president sought to know from the Ministry of Culture about the vacancies in the Archaeological Survey of India, the duration of vacancies and the measures the Union Government was taking up to remedy the situation.
The Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat answered that the sanctioned strength across groups A, B, and C is 8,755, with 3,203 vacancies a majority of them 2,888 in Group – C. “The average duration of vacancies is around two years,” the answer reads. While the strength across branches such as archaeology, conservation, epigraphy, horticulture and surveyor, among others is 8,755, the actual strength is 4,845, the reply states.
The ASI’s Hyderabad Circle has in its custody seven monuments clusters such as the Ramappa Temple, Charminar and Golconda Fort and its fortifications, and the Warangal Fort and its defences and gateways.
Published - March 11, 2025 08:37 pm IST
