CAG-RTI Reports Reveal Alleged Irregularities at IKDRC
Ahmedabad: A recruitment scam has been alleged at the Institute of Kidney Disease & Research Centre (IKDRC), located within the premises of Civil Hospital, Asarwa. The opposition Congress claims that 297 appointments were made without announcements or examinations, violating recruitment norms.
Additionally, 12 retired government officials were reportedly rehired on high salaries without the Chief Minister’s approval.
Irregular Hiring & Nepotism Allegations
Quoting reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and RTI, Congress highlighted:
- 34 out of 58 appointments for key positions (doctors, teaching officers, lecturers) were made without proper announcements or exams.
- Of 1,840 sanctioned regular posts, only 451 were filled through regular processes, while 192 individuals were directly recruited between 2012 and 2023.
- Irregular category-wise hiring:
- Class-1: 19 recruits
- Class-2: 20 recruits
- Class-3: 146 recruits
- Class-4: 7 recruits
Questionable Appointments & Financial Mismanagement
One of the most controversial recruitments was that of Virendra Trivedi, who allegedly:
- Was appointed as a Resident Medical Officer within 24 hours of completing his MBBS at the age of 20.
- Illegally received ₹9.40 lakh as a research academic allowance (which he was ineligible for).
- Was reappointed on a high-paying contract after retirement, bypassing approval procedures.
The CAG report also flagged that faculty and medical officers illegally withdrew ₹12.91 crore under the pretext of research academic allowance, with no proper documentation.
Violations of National Medical Council (NMC) Rules
Promotions against NMC guidelines were allegedly granted to:
- Dr. Pranjal Modi (Director, Kidney Hospital)
- Vaibhav Sutariya
- Rajkiran Shah
- Divesh Engineer
- Umang Thakkar – promoted to Associate Professor despite lacking a postgraduate degree.
Further, Yazdi Wadia, who only has a Class 12 qualification and a certificate in radio mechanic electronics, was appointed as Systems Manager without government approval and was paid at an assistant professor’s pay scale despite not meeting the required qualifications.
Calls for Investigation & Accountability
The Congress party has demanded an immediate investigation into these irregularities and strict action against those involved. The state government has yet to issue an official response on the matter.
