M A I N   N E W S

Prof Nagi is PGI Dean
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 10
The governing body (GB) of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) selected its Dean at an emergency meeting held here today. Although the name of the person selected will not be declared by the authorities till allowed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, reliable sources have informed that Prof Onkar Nath Nagi, Head of the Orthopaedics Department, has been selected as the PGI Dean once again.

The others in the list of those whose names were considered by the GB today included Prof R.J.Dash, Prof Subhash Kumari Gupta, Prof Sudha Suri and Prof Sarla Gopalan.

Sources state out of these five, the PGI Director personally recommended the names of at least two of the seniormost professors at the PGI, Prof R.J. Dash and Prof Subhash Kumari Gupta, but his recommendations were overridden by the GB after an extensive discussion lasting one and a half hours. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and PGI President, Dr C.P. Thakur, who was in the chair, was at the same time informed about a four-year-old inquiry held against Prof Dash and the fact that Prof Subhash Kumari Gupta was to retire in the next six months from the PGI.

The three criteria listed for the selection of the Dean included seniority, suitability and merit. Thus, a comparison of the number of research publications of all these professors was also done.

The sources inform that in the end the final decision was taken on the basis of the various contenders’ respective merit.

No other items on the agenda of the meeting were discussed after the appointment of the Dean and the meeting ended as the PGI President had to leave.

I have not quit: Prabhu

New Delhi, April 10
Union Power Minister Suresh Prabhu today denied reports that he had resigned from the government.

“The reports that I have resigned are totally false and baseless,” he told PTI on the telephone from near Nasik in Maharashtra reacting to reports from Shiv Sena’s conclave in Shirdi that he had quit following differences with party chief Balasahib Thackeray.

Asked as to why such reports could have surfaced, he said some “motivated elements” could have spread this rumour.

On the issue of his reported differences with the party chief, Mr Prabhu said: “In fact, I talked to Thackerayji after hearing the news and he has asked me to issue the statement denying the reports.” PTI