Team Herald

PANJIM: The government has observed that the employees of Goa Konkani Akademi were in the selection committee for short-listing of books for the Literacy award for the year 2015-16 and some recommended their own works. 

In a statement the government said, “It was observed that the employees of Goa Konkani Akademi were in the selection committee for short-listing of books and the same employees had recommended their own books for awards, thus showing a conflict of interest.” 

It further said that the staff of Goa Konkani Akademi are also beneficiaries of these awards and their opinion seemed to be biased they being the members of the selection committee.

The Goa Konkani Akademi Literacy awards for the year 2015 and 2016 in eight different categories and the Bhasha Seva Puraskar in eight different categories were earlier recommended by the committees.  

The government clarified that one of the committee member of the Award for Poetry Section disclosed to the media, assuming that the award was being given to the book “Sudhir Sukth”. 

“All the recommendations are sealed, packed and in the custody of the Secretary of the Goa Konkani Akademi,” the statement reads.

Government has decided to constitute committee to be chaired by Director Higher Education with Director Art and Culture and Director Official Language as members to work out a plan of action to centralise the awards and decide guidelines to the awards of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Goa Konkani Akademi, Goa Marathi Akademi, Kala Academy etc.