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Apalled by the manner in which the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has been handling the revival of the Gandhian Institute of Studies (GIS), Varanasi, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has ordered an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the present situation at the GIS. Shri S. Sathyam, former Secretary to the Government of India will conduct the inquiry. Among other issues, Shri. Satyam has been asked to look into the role of ICSSR and of any individual or group of individuals in the stoppage of grants to GIS. He would also help in fixing responsibility for the continued denial of grants to GIS. Shri. Sathyam has been asked to identify lapses, if any, on the part of individuals or group of individuals affecting the normal functioning of the GIS.
Shri Sathyam has been authorized to ask for and access all materials pertaining to the dealings within the ICSSR in relation to GIS and of all matters of correspondence from and to the ICSSR on the subject including those between the Ministry of HRD and the ICSSR.
Gandhian Institute of Studies is one of the social sciences research institutions being funded and supported by the ICSSR on behalf of the Government of India. It is an autonomous institution, founded by the late Jai Prakash Narayan in 1960. Acharya Ramamurti is the President of GIS at present. The institute has been universally acclaimed through four decades of its existence, for its nurturing and promotion of scholarship of high order in Gandhian thought and philosophy. Among the illustrious work undertaken at the Institute has been Schumacher’s “Small Is Beautiful”. However, during the period 1999-2004, various attempts were made to close down the GIS.
GIS has been maintained since its inception through grant-in-aid, on matching 50:50 basis by the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Government of India, whose sanction was routed through ICSSR. The Grants were stopped by the ICSSR with effect from August 27, 1999 on the directives issued by the Ministry of HRD.
The change in the Government at the Centre and the emphasis on respecting autonomy of Institutions under the National Common Minimum Programme has given the GIS a new lease of life. On July 07, 2004, the Minister for HRD, Shri Arjun Singh called a meeting of all concerned and on his initiative on July 12, 2004, the MHRD withdrew its directives to the ICSSR about the stoppage of grants to GIS. The Central share of grants of Rs. 22 lakhs has since been released to GIS by the ICSSR. MHRD has also been co-ordinating with the Government of Uttar Pradesh for the release of the State’s share and to help in restoring normalcy at the Institute, so that the GIS gets back its lost glory.
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