China webinar, ‘leaking research’ — grounds cited by govt for suspending head of institute behind NFHS
Sami Sukanya Dutta | 1 August 2023 | The Print
File image of suspended Indian Institute of Population Sciences director K.S. James (L) | Credit: Iipsindia.ac.in
New Delhi: Attending a China-based webinar, and “leaking research papers to foreign entities” — these are among the reasons the Union health ministry has listed for suspending K.S. James, director of the Mumbai-based Indian Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS), ThePrint has learnt.
The IIPS comes under the health ministry and designs the four-yearly National Family Health Survey (NFHS), for which it also collects and collates data.
James has been placed under suspension by the health ministry since 27 July, pending an inquiry.
The suspension has come under flak from the Opposition, with former Union minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh citing a news report on the matter in a tweet raising questions about the decision.