New Delhi, Nov. 5: The Ignou vice-chancellor flew on a chartered flight allegedly hired by hardware giant IBM’s India arm to sign a controversial agreement potentially benefiting the company, triggering conflict-of-interests charges against him.

V.N. Rajasekaran Pillai flew to Patna on a plane hired by IBM India Private Limited (IIPL) on October 14, says a complaint filed with the Central Vigilance Commission by critics within the varsity.

Details of the MoU proposal, discussed at a meeting of the Ignou board of management the same day, reveal that IIPL “has been identified as a partner” for the project, estimated to be worth between Rs 284 crore and Rs 384 crore.

The project, meant to train the Bihar government’s employees, is likely to be managed by a private company, Infrastructure License & Finance Services Ltd. IIPL is expected to partner IL&FS as lead technology provider for the project, the details of the MoU proposal discussed by the Ignou board say.

HRD ministry veterans could not remember a vice-chancellor being accused of a conflict of interests because he had used a chartered flight hired by a private firm.

The MoU proposal and the flight manifest lists the chartered flights that took off on October 14 and names the passengers and those that hired the planes. There are several regular flights between Delhi and Patna.

Pillai did not deny he had flown on a chartered flight hired by IIPL, when asked by this newspaper. In his defence, he offered the argument that he had signed the MoU with the Bihar government and not with a private company. “The Bihar chief minister was present at the signing of the MoU. The agreement signed is between Ignou and the Bihar government and not with a private firm,” Pillai said.

The flight manifest of October 14 lists Pillai and other passengers with names that match those of officials of companies involved in the project. The manifest names “IIPL” as the agency that hired the flight, but does not expand the abbreviation.

IIPL, in a statement late in the evening, dissociated itself from the alleged conflict of interests and said it had paid for neither the chartered flight nor Pillai’s travel to Patna.

The project involves building the capacity of schoolteachers, government employees and anganwadi workers in Bihar and skill development of the state’s youth. But the MoU proposal discussed by the Ignou board says the university “should focus only on developing/certifying content, examining students and certifying them on their proficiency”.

Ignou, the proposal says, has discussed the matter with IL&FS, which has “submitted a proposal showing their interest to be lead programme managers for Ignou for the Bihar project”.

The proposal says that IL&FS “is seeking partners for this proposal and have identified IBM India Private Ltd” and another company for the project. “IBM will work as a lead technology provider,” the proposal says.

The complaint with the vigilance commission alleges that the MoU was not prepared and signed in a transparent manner, and was pushed through by Pillai despite opposition from within Ignou.

Pillai, however, said the proposed MoU with the Bihar government had been approved by the Ignou board a year ago. His critics claim the board had merely approved the concept of the project and not the details.