What led NSDC to cease accounts, withdraw powers and authorities of SSSDC and to decide for filing an FIR against Sector Skill Council serviceman ?

New Delhi : On 9th January, National Skill Development Corporation, the skill development regulatory agency had published a Public Notice notifying the withdrawn of powers and authorities of a Sector Skill Council authorized to assess and certify manpower in security sector.

While investigating more about this first-of-its-kind strict action against an apex institution regulating standards and quality, Skill Reporter team found the curtain raiser Col Utkarsh Rathore , an Ex- Sector Skill Council serviceman who lodged a petition with CEO & MD Shri Manish Kumar, National Skill Development Corporation to take a corrective action.

Based on his petition filed, an audit by NSDC team found several malpractices including misuse of funds, misuse of authority and ignorance of governing council members by the Chairman of Security Sector Skill Development Council (SSSDC). This compelled NSDC to withdraw it’s powers of assessing trainees and awarding certificates and it has been subsumed into the management sector skill council.

Talking on the issue, Col. Rathore told Skill Reporter that he had filed this petition in public interest to prevent misuse of public funds for personal interest and maintain the decorum of the skill development ecosystem. He disclosed how sector skill council chairman leveraged the authorities to raise funds for his personally and family promoted companies as well as favored these companies while training and assessment target allocation.

Kunwar Vikram ignored the opinion of governing council members and even not informed NSDC for most of the council moves, he added.

Sources said there are complaints from various quarters regarding the functioning of the sector skill councils that are set up as autonomous industry-led bodies by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

While talking to the reporters, NSDC MD & CEO Shri Manish Kumar said “The sector skill councils are being closely watched, and recommendations for the non-performing ones have been submitted to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, as there is a need to “weed out” the bad ones”.

“A directive has also been issued for freezing the bank account of the Security Sector Skill Development Council to protect the public money lying with it. Inquiry is done, now we will file an FIR. It is something which is serious and we are not going to leave it, we are going to pursue this,” Kumar said.

The FIR, he said, will be filed against the executive authority who was signing the cheque. “Apparently, the signing power was with the Chairman (Kunwar Vikram Singh), whoever was signing the cheques we will hold accountable,” Kumar added.

Kumar said an audit which was shared with the NSDC Board raised a “lot of money misuse” and the report was shared with the government.

“A government request had come that they (security SSC) should not be entrusted with the responsibility of a sector skill council. A formal communication had come from the government, so it is a combined decision of the government and NSDC,” he said.