If the Prime Minister hasn’t succeeded in “overcoming the obstacles” as recently as last week, he could try calling bureaucrats in three key ministries — Human Resource Development, Home and External Affairs — and ask them why they didn’t act but slept over the United States Educational Foundation of India (USEFI)’s “statement of concern” over the Fulbright mess sent as early as September last year.

Facing protracted delays in granting visas to US scholars — as first reported by this newspaper — the Fulbright Commission in India (popularly known as the USEFI) asked the three key ministries to step up clearances. The commission invoked the 1950 agreement between Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and US Ambassador Loy Henderson, detailed the delays, explained how many scholars had been left in the lurch — how they had given up their homes, their spouses had left their jobs, their children had left schools, and they were paying extra for rented part-time accommodation.

All this fell on deaf ears.

And, significantly, the HRD nominee on the board did not sign this.

And this when the 10-member USEFI Board, the apex body to implement the Fulbright programme has five US nominees and as many as five Indian government nominees on it.

On September 13, their note couldn’t have been clearer: “The ten members of the Board unanimously directed that the intervention of the Human Resource Development Ministry (HRD), Home and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) be sought with a request to treat these pending applications on an urgent/emergency basis to enable US scholars to take up their academic engagements with their host institutions in India.”

The Board’s statement detailed the delay: “Of the 80 scholars whose applications are pending, 53 have been waiting for more than five months, and 13 others more than 4 months. 21 per cent of the cases have been pending for more than nine months.”

“USEFI has been informed that approvals would be granted in about 3 months. The scholars who are waiting include nine visiting lecturers and seven teachers, the rest are researchers...several of the American scholars who have made plans to come to India this year have made substantial personal commitments. They have relinquished their normal duties or studies, and in some cases their spouses and children have left jobs and school,” it added.

Nothing moved. In December, almost five months after the scholarship year began, clearances of about 33 Fulbright scholars were still pending. It’s then that they sent a desperate “missive” to U S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“In case of one teacher exchange group,” the Board told the Government, “Americans and Indians and their home schools have agreed for the teachers to swap classrooms.

Today, the Indian group is already in the United States, living in the homes of the Americans and teaching at their schools, while the American teachers are staying in temporary quarters or hotels at their own expense awaiting clearances to travel.

At best, they will have a late start in their fellowships, which ends in December when the teacher exchange ends,” the statement said.

The USEFI’s statement of concern was signed by all Board members, except Human Resource Development Ministry director Anupama Bhatnagar in the HRD Ministry.

It was signed by the four remaining Board members: Prof Ved Prakash (Vice-Chancellor of National University of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi), Prof Sushanta Duttagupta (Director, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata), Prof Sydney Rebeiro (former Dean, Delhi university) and Dr Indu Shahani (Dean, HR College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai).

It was also signed by all five United States government nominees: USEFI chairman Adnan Siddiqi (Counselor for Cultural Affairs, US embassy), Larry Schwartz (Minister Counselor for Public Affairs, United States embassy), Sharon Lowen (Indian studies coordinator, American Embassy school), Aseem Sharma (President, Corning India) and Virendra Sam Singh (founding member, American Chamber of Commerce in India).

No OK if security concern: Home

Reacting to The Indian Express report today, the Home Ministry sent a note to the newspaper:

• Home: “Whenever USEFI officials met senior MHA officers with any request, prompt and effective action was taken.”

Fact: USEFI officials have been meeting Indian officials since June. The USEFI board sent a statement of concern after its September 13 meeting, but MHA, MHRD and MEA didn’t even acknowledge the receipt of the letter. 93 applications were pending in August, it was 80 in September, and in December, about 40 applications were still pending. As on today, 8 are still pending.

• Home: As regards, the 7 cases reported under the sub-heading “still waiting”, the views of MHA have already been conveyed to the MHRD.

Fact: The fact remains that 8 cases, including 7 reported in the paper, are still pending.

• Home: During 2006, proposals of 76 Fulbright scholars were received in the Ministry through MHRD. Out of these MHA sent its clearance in 67 cases.

Fact: The point is not just clearances, but “time-bound clearances”. If a scholar gets clearance after 10 months, it’s hardly of any use.

• Home: Only in cases where there are definite and cogent security concerns, MHA did not give its clearance.

Fact: What’s the definite and cogent security concern about “Left politics in Maharashtra”, or “Muslim women’s perceptions of the role of women in society”, “Democratisation in Kerala”, “Intellectual property law and traditional medicine.”