PSC to demand action about coaching centre using PSC's name
text_fields
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Puiblic Service Commission (PSC) is iniating a major crack down on those who run coaching centres under the misleading nomenclature of 'PSC Coaching Centre'.
The statutory body will ask the state government and police to take action against such institutes. The step follows complaints that these centres attract candidates using the name of PSC . The PSC's meeting held on Monday also decided to identify such centres and recommend action against those that use the name of PSC and authorised zonal/district officers for the operation.
PSC also notifed the public dissociating itself from such institutions. At the same time, the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) team enquiring about coaching centres being run by government servants, questioned some officials of the public administration department in this regard. The interrogation was conducted at the Vigilance office in Poojappura under the leadership of DySP Prasad.
Under Secretary Ranjan Raj and Assistant Shibu were quizzed in the morning and afternoon respectively. A coaching centre named 'Veto' is reportedly run by the father-in-law of Ranjan Raj who was under secretary of public administration department with two of his friends. He is now serving in the Forward Communities Welfare Corporation.
Another coaching centre 'Lakshya' is in the name of Shibu, his wife and four friends. Shibu, who has been on leave since 2013, conducts classes in Lakshya too.
However, Ranjan Raj was found to be conducting classes without taking leave. The VACB had also confiscated guides prepared by Ranjan Raj for the candidates in Veto.
Ranjan is said to have informed that he had not done anything in violation of government rules and had prepared guides after obtaining government permission. His statement also claims that although he used to visit Veto for taking classes, he did not receive any remuneration for the same.
However, Shibu informed the Vigilance team that he was taking classes in Lakshya after taking leave from service and that he had no ownership of the institution. Shibu's statement also mentions that those who conduct classes in Lakshya include several government officers. Their relatives and friends are also likely to be questioned in the coming few days.
VACB is also learnt to have gathered that there are government officers who write articles for publications of private coaching centres in the name of their wives or mothers. An officer working in the finance ministry of the government at the secretariat has been writing for private publications for the last 10 years. If it was in his own name originally, but now it is in the name of his mother.
Another official of Public Administration Department regularly writes using his wife's name. Vigilance has handed details of such people to the Public Administration Department.
