Centre revokes suspension of IIPS director after he tenders resignation
The Centre suspended KS James as the chief of the International Institute for Population Sciences, a body that prepares family health survey, on July 28.
The Centre has revoked the suspension order of KS James, the director of the International Institute for Population Sciences after it accepted his resignation last week, reported The Hindu on Monday.
The Health and Family Welfare Ministry had issued a suspension order against James citing an irregularity in his recruitment on July 28.
The International Institute for Population Sciences works under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It conducts important studies like the National Family Health Survey, the Assessment of National Rural Health Mission and the Global Adult Tobacco Survey.
An official at the Department of Public Health and Mortality Studies of the institution had told The Wire that the order came after the government asked James to resign, expressing its reservations about certain data sets that emerged in surveys conducted by the institute.
James was served the suspension order after he refused to resign from the post.
On October 11, the Union Health Ministry’s order stated that on the subsequent review of the suspension order, the competent authority felt that James’ suspension may need to be extended further, reported The Indian Express. The ministry said that it made the decision in view of the material changes in the circumstances.
However, on the same day, the ministry issued another order stating that it had accepted James’ resignation that was tendered on August 7 and hence revoked his suspension order.
According to a report by The Wire, some of the findings of the National Family Health Survey-5 were at odds with claims made by the Narendra Modi government. The survey has punched holes in the prime minister’s claims of the country being open defecation free.
The survey had also painted a poor picture of the government’s flagship Ujjwala scheme for cooking gas cylinders as it showed that 40% of Indian households did not have access to clean fuels, The Wire reported.
The Opposition had also criticised James’ suspension, saying that the Modi government cannot work with those who do not meet its “test of ideological purity”.
