The Centre appointed a member of an RSS-affiliated cultural body as chairman of a language promotion panel in 2021, but could not provide his bio-data when this newspaper sought it via an RTI application.
Chamu Krishna Shastri, chairman of the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti (BBS) that the education ministry set up in November 2021 to suggest ways of promoting Indian languages, has been paid more than a central university vice-chancellor since December 2023.
But the ministry’s RTI response sidestepped a request to provide the formula based on which his pay was determined.
Shastri is a member of the RSS-affiliated Samskrita Bharati, which attempts to promote Sanskrit learning through measures such as camps for children.
The BBS has two other members, both ex-officio: the director of the Central Institute of Indian Languages and the vice-chancellor of the Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University, New Delhi.
All the members would work in an “honorary capacity”, the November 15, 2021, ministry order that set up the BBS said. But the ministry began paying Shastri ₹2.5 lakh a month since December 2023, more than the ₹2.1 lakh monthly salary any central university VC receives.
Documents accessed through the RTI application revealed a ministry decision to provide government accommodation to Shastri.
The ministry also provided a copy each of the November 15 order setting up the BBS, and the December 28, 2023, order extending the chairperson’s tenure and announcing a monthly payment of ₹2.5 lakh to him.
However, the central public information officer (CPIO) failed to provide a copy of Shastri’s bio-data or explain the basis on which his pay had been fixed, as sought by this newspaper’s RTI application.
After an appeal was filed seeking a copy of the bio-data and the other details, Suman Dixit, the first appellate authority, replied on March 20 that the information sought was unavailable.
“The appeal has been examined from the perspective of substantive issue related to the information sought and information supplied,” the reply said.
“It is noted from the records that CPIO (L-11), Department of Higher Education has provided the information which are available.”
A former bureaucrat and a former humanities professor with a central university said the government routinely obtained the bio-data of people being considered for appointment to any academic position, institution or committee.
“This is to ensure that suitable persons are chosen…. The bio-data is the bare minimum,” the ex-professor said.
According to file notings this newspaper has accessed along with correspondence between ministry officials and the BBS, a consultant in the ministry had proposed a monthly pay of ₹2.5 lakh for the chairman. But these documents too are silent on the formula used to calculate the pay.
“He has not taken any remuneration during the last two years,” a noting said, referring to the period between November 2021 and December 2023.
“In view of his stature as a renowned Sanskrit scholar and the significance of his work, it is proposed that he may be recommended a sum of ₹2.5 lakh (inclusive of all allowances) per month.”
The former professor questioned the description of Shastri as a “renowned Sanskrit scholar”. He said Shastri had not published any research in any peer-reviewed academic journal.
Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan — sources said Shastri was his nominee — cleared the pay proposal and Shastri’s tenure was extended by a year. Last November, the ministry issued another order extending his tenure by three years.
This newspaper sent an email to higher education secretary Vineet Joshi on April 22 asking why the ministry did not have Shastri’s bio-data, which research publications by him it had considered, and why it paid him more than a VC. A response is awaited.
An email was also sent to Shastri asking for details of his research publications and whether he had provided his bio-data to the government. Shastri is yet to respond.