NEW DELHI: The environment ministry has lost its (scientific) temper. Unhappy with the performance of scientists under his ministry’s purview, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Minister Anil Madhav Dave will hire an outside agency or consultant to draft and implement a 360-degree evaluation policy to assess their suitability for promotion.
The agency will also apprise them of policy changes, various environment and forest-related Acts, policies, latest research and the national and international publications. Top institutes such as Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Bhopal-based Indian Institute of Forest Management and Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, come under the purview of the ministry. The ministry feels the R&D output of the scientists is low compared to the rest of the world.
Environment minister Anil Madhav Dave will rope in the private sector to assess the strengths and weaknesses of scientists through an evaluation policy. The idea is to maximize their deployment according to suitability. Once hired, the agency or consultant is also expected to understand their interest areas for future development, ascertain both manpower requirement at any given point of time and the need for specific training for each officer.
“The ministry has decided to introduce a training programme for scientists of all grades with the objective of acquainting them with the latest developments in their respective areas of expertise to make their contribution in formulating and implementing related governmental policies more meaningful and effective in future,” said a senior ministry official.
The ministry is expected to hire the consultant or agency within the coming month. It expects the evaluation report within two months. The move, according to the ministry, is in accordance with the National Training policy promulgated in 2012, which requires all ministries and departments to formulate their specific training policies.
Scientists of the environment ministry are involved in work related to the appraisal/monitoring of environment impact, pollution and hazardous substances, forest conservation, research in environment, climate change, handling of RTI applications, parliament questions and court cases on the related matters.
Under conditions prescribed by the ministry, the consultant needs at least five years of experience in imparting training in any eminent institution to be found suitable. The consultant has to be an expert in formulating/operationalising training policy, training strategies, training perspective-plans and the cadre training plan of central/state government. In case of an agency, at least five years of experience in organizing and conducting training programme relating to government officers is mandatory. The conditions also seek experience in formulating training policy of any cadre of a governmental institution.