India is known to undertake a lot of U.S outsourcing work and now Archaeological Survey of India or ASI is facing the stick for outsourcing the digitization of its archive of photographs to American Institute of Indian Studies, Gurgaon which is an American funded organization receiving grants from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington.
This was done even though procedural cautions were stated in a report which was presented by a standing parliamentary committee. This report had questioned the locus standi of American Institute of Indian Studies.
The report observed:
Adequate care should be taken while finalising such kind of deal (sic) so the expenditure to be occurred... is spent in the best interest of the nation and valuable information about Indian antiquities and monuments are not handed over to foreign hands. It further stated that ASI would prepare estimates and compare the estimates with other eligible parties after the sanctions are obtained. The report also highlighted the demoralisation of ASI’s own professional cadre and the urgency of having a professional archaeologist head the organization.
Despite all this the contract was awarded to American Institute of Indian Studies. It seems all the report findings were overlooked while handling the contract. When C Babu Rajeev, Director-general, ASI was asked for an explanation he said that he did not owe an explanation. Is the ministry sleeping over this issue?
Via organizer
