Overview

• The Central Vigilance Commission has indicted four members of the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana and recommended penalty proceedings against 15 current and former ICHR officials.
• An internal audit found Rs7.4 crore in unrecovered scholar grants and flagged a total of Rs14.03 crore in financial irregularities between 2021-22 and 2022-23.
• ABISY functionaries have held key ICHR roles since 2017, prompting allegations of ideological influence alongside accusations of corruption.
• Specific abuses included a Rs30.1 lakh budget overrun on a government-funded book and an unauthorised Rs2.55 crore renovation of ICHR facilities.
• Congress leader Jairam Ramesh warns of systematic RSS infiltration into professional bodies since 2014 and is calling for strengthened oversight of research institutions.