Arbitrary
Extension of service and illegal reappointment of T.K.Panda, Managing Director of
Odisha State Co-operative Bank violating ‘Fit and Proper Criteria’ prescribed
by RBI for CEOs of State Cooperative Banks.
Dear friends
Since last several years, Odisha has witnessed severe unemployment crisis
with lakhs of educated youths battling to get job in Govt. or private institutions to live with dignity. While unemployment is on rise, the State Govt. has been
extending services of
retired officers/ employees and
also giving reappointment of retired employees in different posts.
The glaring
case is continuous illegal
extension of service of Tusar Kanti Panda, Managing Director of Odisha State Co-operative Bank by the
administration flouting all norms and regulations. In 2013, Sri Panda who
was about to retire at age of 58 on 31.10.2013 , got succeeded in manipulating the administrative
procedure to get extension of service
for two years w.e.f. 1.11.2013 taking
plea of an unauthorised resolution
of the Management of OSCB dt.6.05.2009 to enhance
the superannuation age of employees of OSCB from 58 years to 60 years violating the statutory order No.21098
dt.1.10.2010 of RCS (O) which prohibited extension of service of employees
of Cooperative Societies after their retirement age of 58 years.
In 2014, he again succeeded
to get another extension of two
years of his service as MD of OSCB
upto 62 years on 21.08.2014 from 1.11.2015 to 31.10.2017. It is
learnt from information obtained under RTI that his extension
of service was granted following recommendation of Professor and HOD of
Computer Science Deptt of IIT Kharagpur (Who was a member of the high value
controversial CBS procurement committee as consultant of ODCB) on the pretext
that second line officers of OSCB
are not capable to move forward the CBS
computerization project of OSCB successfully overlooking the statutory ban
order for extension of service imposed by RCS mentioned above. The CBS software
implementation is a big disaster in Cooperative Banks due to defective CBS
software procured from v-soft.
It was observed from the
file noting ( File No. COOP-CRI-MISC-0001-2017) that in 2017, the Co-operation Dept. again moved a proposal for granting extension of service of Sri
Panda for another one year w.e.f. 1.11.2017 following a resolution taken
by the Management Committee of OSCB & proposal of Registrar, Cooperative Society placed at incoming
No. 8785/COOP/2017. But the
extension of term of
Sri T.K.Panda was restricted to six months
from 15.11.17 to 20.4.2018 by
Chief Secretary and Chief Minister. It was also instructed that
within this period, his successor should be identified by the Cooperation Department. It would
avoid any disturbance in the
procurement operations.
On 6.3.2018, the State Govt. has constituted
a Search Committee headed by
Chief Secretary to find out a
person for the post of Managing Director, OSCB. It deserves to be mentioned here that the RBI
has prescribed the following “ Fit and Proper Criteria” for appointment
of CEOs
in State Cooperative Banks.
i)
For
entry level eligibility to be relaxed
to 62 years
ii)
For superannuation, the upper age limit to be fixed
at 70 years. . However, the age
of superannuation may be decided
by RCS of the respective states
after taking into consideration the
recommendations , if any of the
Board of directors of the Co-opeartive
Banks.
But
astonishingly, deviating from RBI norm, the
State Govt. has gone
to the extent of arbitrarily
taking an additional
criteria of age relaxation for the existing employees of the Scheduled Co-operative Banks. This
eligibility criteria has been taken up very cunningly by the Govt. with the sole intention of appointing Sri Panda again through backdoor means. It is
very interesting to note that the qualification
for the post of MD, OSCB stipulated
in the screening committee notification of Cooperation
Department dated 6.3.2018 is as per
the old ‘fit and proper’ criteria
prescribed by RBI dt.18.6.2008, whereas, the qualification stipulated in the advertisement for said post of issued by Cooperation Department on 7.3.2018 is different and is as per the revised ‘Fit and Proper’
criteria prescribed by RBI dt.3.3.2009 and 5.7.2011.
It deserves to
mention here that during his tenure Sri Panda had allowed around 60 number of
high salaried employees of OSCB to illegally continue in service beyond their
retirement age of 58 years up to 60 years without approval of Registrar of
Cooperative Societies basing on the unauthorised
resolution of the Management of OSCB dt.6.05.2009 to enhance the superannuation age of employees of OSCB from 58 years
to 60 years violating the statutory
order No.21098 dt.1.10.2010 of RCS (O).
He had also illegally
twice revised salary of employees of OSCB at par with RBI in collusion
with the employees and Board members
without statutory approval of Registrar of Cooperative Societies twice
during his tenure over looking
provisions of Orissa Cooperative Societies Act, 1962 and disbursed huge amount
of arrear salary when the Bank was
being bailed out by Government of Orissa from being closed by pumping of huge share capital
of Rs 54 Crore to enhanced it’s Capital
base (CRAR 9%) to meet RBI norms
since it’s share capital had substantially eroded due to the non-recoverable (loss category NPA) loan of Rs 48 Crore granted to Bijayananda Cooperative Sugar Mills
during his tenure and apart from other NPA loans. As per law the entire unauthorised expenditure made for extension of service and illegal
revision of salary of staff without
approval of Registrar is recoverable from him. He has successfully thwarted the inquiries conducted on the above matter by putting pressure on the
concerned officials.
Though ex-Minister Cooperation had ordered for inquiry u/s
65 of OCS Act, 1962 and vigilance inquiry against him, he had been successful
to keep on hold the above inquiries against him for his lobby with some top
bureaucrats who are proving him undue protection.
Apart from Kerala in Himachal Pradesh, IAS officers are
still posted as Managing Director of State Cooperative Bank despite
implementation of Vaidyanathan Committee Recommendation (VCR) for posting of professionals in State
and District Cooperative Banks complying "fit and proper criteria"
prescribed by RBI. Currently one Ram Kumar Goutam from Himachal Administrative Service is posted as Managing Director of
HPSCB wef 9.1.2018 after Gopal Sharma IAS who was MD of HPSCB from 9.5.16 to
9.1.18. All along IAS are posted in HPSCB for transparent administration and
better coordination with District Administrations. But it is hard to understand
why in Odisha, a tainted person having several allegations of serious financial
irregularities, vigilance cases is given repeated illegal extension of service
and some top bureaucrats are again hatching conspiracy to reappoint the said
incumbent by hook or crook through back door means up to 70 years taking plea
of age enhancement guideline of NABARD
dated 17.1.2018 though he has already crossed 62 years.
Pradip
Pradhan
M-9937843482
Date-
20.3.18
