Recruitment scam hits TBPM

RABINARAYAN JENA, OP

Bhubaneswar: At a time when the School and Mass Education (S&ME) department is yet to shake off criticism over errors in textbooks, allegations of irregularities in the appointment of employees at Textbook Production and Marketing (TBPM) have come to light. According to the allegations, some employees appointed at TBPM subsequently altered details they had furnished at the time of joining, allegedly with the help of certain officials, when their services were regularised. As a result, eligible employees are reportedly being denied promotions.

TBPM has more than 700 employees across various categories, of whom 121 were daily labour roll (DLR) employees. Following a prolonged demand, their services were regularised on the directions of the High Court. Of these, around 30 employees allegedly changed the dates of birth (DoBs) they had furnished when they joined the organisation at a later stage, allegedly with the help of certain employees. In some cases, their age was reduced by four to five years.

As a result, some eligible employees are now facing difficulties during the promotion process. Of the 40 employees involved, several have retired while some have died. However, discrepancies relating to DoBs at the time of appointment have now surfaced in the cases of around 15 employees.

Besides, some employees are allegedly seeking promotions by taking advantage of the irregularities, creating a complicated situation at TBPM. TBPM Director Sambit Kumar Nayak said he had noticed such irregularities before joining the directorate. “Some employees have discrepancies in their DoBs, and others are using these to claim promotions. This is creating problems. However, the government will act according to its policy and take the appropriate decision based on the correct records,” Nayak said.