In contrast, the recommendations of the Bhargava Committee on board composition promote all forms of crony-ism. The report states that a pan IIM board should be set up “to assist the government”. Since when is a board’s role defined as to assist a promoter stakeholder? It must have 15 members, five of which are government nominees, and the chairman is appointed by the prime minister (given how babudom has used this so far, that means one more government-friendly person.) In addition, the secretary of the board will be one of the five government nominees! It then says that the rest can be “highly eminent” individuals, presumably chosen by the chairman and the secretary, perhaps even members of this committee. Having created this super board whose job is to approve 2 year business plans, vision and mission and give guidelines (perhaps there is not typo here and they did indeed mean guidelines, not guidance) for policy, the committee then turns its attention to emasculating the existing boards of the IIMs.

They say that individual boards should be halved to 11 members. The suggested procedure for appointing them is a stroke of diabolical genius, and a total travesty of governance. The HRD secretary and 3 “independent” professionals selected by him will form a committee which “should make the initial selection to the boards. Thereafter, vacancies to the board would be filled by the boards themselves”. This does not even have a fig leaf to cover its crony-ism. A board whose initial members are handpicked by the HRD ministry will then go on to handpick its other members. Terrifyingly, the report then states that “The Board of the IIMs should have full powers to manage, including selection of the director, proposing the name of the chairman to the pan IIM board, creating or abolishing posts” etc. It’s like the old Hindu prayer — you are the speaker, you are the listener (twameva shrota, twameva vakta). It also states that the memorandum of association of each IIM should be amended to implement the changes proposed.

... contd.