The Department of Culture, an ancilliary of the Tourism Ministry, is looking forward to giving bureaucrats the boot. Minister of State Bhavnaben Chikalia, who has independent charge of the Culture Department, is planning to replace bureaucrats who head its various institutions with technocrats or specialists in the respective fields.According to sources, the first such institution to be freed of the bureaucratic grip and replaced with specialists will be the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The ASI, which, has always been headed by a Joint Secretary in the last two decades, will soon have a technocrat instead if Chikalia gets the go-ahead. A draft report has already been sent to her senior, Cabinet Minister Jagmohan.The Culture Department has several prestigious institutions under its wing such as the ASI, National Archives of India, National Museum, National School of Drama (NSD), Nehru Centre, Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts (IGNCA) and the three academies of art, music and literature, among several others.While many of the institutions are already headed by specialists in the field, the Culture Department would like to ensure a uniformity in all appointments to organisations under its charge.But bureaucrats have managed to exert their clout and influence and keep their grip on the posts with a firm resolve. Take the recent appointment of the head of the prestigious Nehru Centre in London, which fell vacant after theatre personality Girish Karnad finished his term. Instead of appointing somebody from the arts, the post was filled with an IFS officer, Pawan Chopra.Also, several senior appointments have been held up in prestigious institutions for as long as two years and the hunt for suitable candidates is still in the recruitment stage.The crucial National Archives of India, home to some of the most extraordinary official papers in the course of the country’s history, has been headless since January 1, 2002.The search for a Director-General has barely begun — the proposal for the clearance of the screening committee for the DG — is still under compilation.The unique Rampur Raza Library, which houses some of the most exquisite manuscripts and books of Islamic scholarship does not have a director since 2002, as no suitable candidate was ever found. At present, the library is being headed by a retired officer of the ASI, who has been designated Officer on Special Duty.Other important institutions which still don’t have a head are the National Library, ASI in Kolkata; Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal; the Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation and Khudabakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna.
