Force NITW administration to implement Right to Information(RTI) act in letter and spirit

Dear Concerned Citizen,

This is your chance to tell the administration of NITW to implement RTI act in its true spirit. Help improve the administration of institutes like NIT.Click to sign the petition.

Asthra was formed by a few like minded students and alumni of National Institute of   Technology(NIT), Warangal,Andhra Pradesh. With an aim to bring in more  transparency and accountability in the education system. Since then, we have been trying our best to make sure that the landmark Right to Information (RTI) Act is implemented in letter and spirit in NITW. While we have been partly successful in making them disclose certain details, a lot needs to be done.

This campaign is an effort to pressurize and awaken the administration of NITW. Your invaluable support in this endeavour will go a long way in changing things at NITW and thereby triggering a change in the education system at large.

We request you to sign this petition and show your support.

In solidarity,

Team Asthra

www.theasthra.org

www.asthranitw.wordpress.com

E-mail: info@theasthra.org

Source:

1. Letter written by Asthra Team in August 2011

http://asthranitw.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/implement-rti-act-at-nit-warangal-or-resign-on-24th-august/

2.News article in Deccan Chronicle

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/karimnagar/fight-rti-act-implementation-nit-623

3.Protest withdraw notice and clarification from Asthra

http://asthranitw.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/an-open-letter-about-asthra/

Implement RTI act at NIT Warangal

Dear CPIO and APIO’s of NIT Warangal,

It has been more than 6 years that RTI has come into force.Even today RTI implementation at NIT Warangal is given the least preference.We at Team Asthra have always been in forefront in the issue of implementation of RTI and preparation of RTI manuals,at your offices from last 2 years .We have written dozens of letters and emails.

Lack of awareness about RTI act itself among the CPIO and APIO’s show how committed NIT Warangal is towards RTI implementation.Its is not for once but for many times we have come across the table to negotiate and emphasise the importance of RTI implmentation at NIT Warangal.We gave all the volunteer help(4 in number) and prepared a 5 page document for you even though it was not our job.Our concern for maladministration at NIT Warangal has made us knock your doors regularly.We did even stress on how useful is RTI manual in governance of NIT Warangal for smooth functioning and ease of work.

All our efforts, pursuance and withdrawal from a protest in month of August 2011 has only made us go more worried.

6 years and still not even a single RTI session for administrative officers of NIT Warangal has been conducted.The administration has been successful only in beating around the bush when it has come to implementation of RTI act. We have been facing and bearing all the insult at your offices for our fundamental right, Right to Information. We are afraid on what message you want to send across to people of this country by not being transparent and carrying out various process of administration within the four walls.

Had the institute put sincere effort as the Director did in performing Chandiyagam to drive away evil spirits we would have not written this email to you today.

We have no other option other than launching an online campaign from February 8th 2012 to wake you up.

With Concern,

Rakesh Dubbudu & Rajendra Lingam
(For Team Asthra)
www.theasthra.org
www.asthranitw.wordpress.com
Ph.No. 9885419012; 9885789908

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 21,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 8 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

55 Lakhs is all that they spent on medicines for students at NIT Warangal

A whopping 55 lakhs was spent for purchase of medicines at NIT Warangal dispensary for the last 3 years. This exuberant figure came into light in one of the RTI’s filed by Mundhuadugu-A RTI initiative Eenadu (Telugu news daily). NIT  Warangal dispensary caters to the needs of the faculty, non-teaching and students of the institute. The dispensary runs with 1 medical officer and 3 doctors. The medicines at the dispensary are purchased from the contractor and are given for free to the members on the prescription of doctors. While dispersing the medicines to the patients a note of the medicines distributed is recorded in the register.

Records show that Rs.16 lakhs was spent for 2436 students treated at the dispensary. While Rs.18 Lakhs was spent for treating 6094 students in 2009,Rs.21 lakhs was spent for 6365 students treated for the year 2010.

Interestingly the records show that in the last 3 years only 6 professors have been treated at NIT Warangal and it has come to notice that faculty is receiving medicines for the prescription taken from outside the NIT Dispensary. A figure of Rs.10 Lakh per annum can be added to the above figures if one takes non-teaching staff  into consideration.

Dispensary RTI

3 professors at IIT KGP swindle 28.7 Crores

Three professors of IIT Kharagpur colluded in a Rs. 28.7 Crore scam under the pretext of developing a software named COALNET for Coal India Ltd.Till date no action has been taken on them in spite of letter from CBI to Director of IIT KGP to levy major penalty against two of the professors and minor penalty against the third professor.

All the 3 professors continue to enjoy privileges at IIT Kharagpur with one of them being promoted to the post of Dean.

Please sign on the petition at the below link to support the cause

http://www.change.org/petitions/cbi-take-action-in-rs-287-crore-coal-india-ltd-scam-at-iit-kharagpur

Wikileaks Needs You

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All is not well at NIT Warangal

The administration of NIT Warangal is yet to take corrective action over serious shortcomings and irregularities highlighted by CAG in its audit report submitted this September on Performance of NIsT from the period 2005 to 2010. The response of the administration to this report remains to be seen.

It is observed that the administration is busy in playing a blame game with the Non teaching staff rather than exploring ways to overcome the shortcomings in the smooth functioning of the institute. Most issues raised by Team Asthra were pointed to the ‘inefficiency and shortage of Non Teaching staff’. But the findings of CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) tell a different story.  The CAG report says there were an excess of 13.3 percent Non-Teaching staff (477 Non teaching staff are employed over 421 as per norms).

It looks like the non implementation of RTI act in letter and spirit can be attributed to lack of interest in the administration about tranparency and accountability in its working. The CAG report observes that massive works worth 6.23 crores were carried out during the years 2008-09 and 2009-10 without obtaining recommendations of Building and Works Committee (BWC), that is responsible for  all major construction works after obtaining the necessary administrative approval and sanction of expenditure from Board of Governors (BOGs). This points to a serious procedural lapse and abuse of power that can lead to corruption.

The NIT Warangal administration also seems to be taking in more students than approved. The report observed that 20 students in Electronics and Communication Engineering, 2 students in Mechanical Engineering and 2 students in Chemical Engineering were admitted in excess and against the norms (The administration did not provide data for Civil Engineering and Computer science courses).

The biggest shortcoming and a matter of great concern for NIT Warangal is the non-accreditation of undergraduate Biotechnology course and 16 other post graduate courses by National Board of Accreditation(NBA). Many local engineering colleges in Hyderabad have a A+ star rating for their Biotechnology course from the NBA.

While faculty shortage of 209 members is a major issue, in-house training for the current faculty also did not take place for the last 5 years. Interestingly NIT Warangal which boasts of placements is not the best among the NIsT when the average (B.Tech + M.Tech) of the placements is taken. Also the institute does not have sufficient number of computers and there is a shortage of 196 computers which would cater needs of 784 students.

The only parameter on which NIT Warangal stood ahead of other NIsT was the hostel facility however poor class room facilities and lack of 38 lecture halls (Lecture Hall and Class room are different) continue to haunt.

There is urgent need for revitalizing academics at NIT Warangal. Transparency and Accountability in the governance should be given the utmost priority in this time of crisis. The task of turning this around lies upon the senate which is responsible for the maintenance of standards of instruction, education and examination in the Institute and the vision of the Director who shall ride the chariot.

CAG REPORT : Please CLICK HERE