Despite a large number of cases related to false, fabricated and unapproved Class XII and diploma certificates in past one year, the various Councils set up by the Punjab government have failed to take any action in the absence of rules.

The Punjab government has set up the bodies like the Punjab Pharmacy Council, Nursing Council, Homeopathic Council and Ayurvedic Board to monitor and register the candidates having degrees in relevant streams. Despite the question mark over 3,000 degrees, which are suspected to be fake or issued by unrecognised institutions, the Councils could notreach to any conclusion in the absence of any check till date.

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The Punjab Pharmacy Council, which had called a meeting with its 14 members on 28 March is still awaiting a response from the state's Medical Education and Research department in this regard.

Sources said the Punjab Pharmacy Council alone, which has registered 35,888 pharmacists till date, through its Registrar had written a letter to Director Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Chandigarh, asking for the registration of an FIR against “guilty officials” for registering 3,000 candidates having fake, false, fabricated and unapproved Class XII and diploma certificates.

"We have sought a clarity from the concerned department as what action should be initiated against unapproved boards issuing fake degrees. Actions have been recommended against certain boards, but the final call is still awaited. After perusing degree courses at the college level, the candidate comes to us for registration as pharmacists. After verification, their certificates were found fake as the institutions were not affiliated to recognised boards," Registrar, PSPC, Kishore Kumar Shridhar, told The Statesman.

Meanwhile, secretary of the department of Medical Education and Research, Punjab, Vikas Pratap Singh said they have been keeping a close watch on such fake degree cases. He said, a vigilance probe was ordered against a fake degree racket issuing certificates in the name of Baba Farid University of Health Science (BFUHS). "We will look into
the other cases also. As and when a complaint comes to our notice we start the proceedings," he said.

As per a Right to Information (RTI) obtained by Paramedical and Health Employees Front (PHEF), Punjab about two years ago, it had come to fore that a total of 7,453 registrations was done by the Council between January 2009 to December 2013. Following this, PHEF had written to the Governor, Chief Minister, Health Minister, Medical Education and Research Minister and the Technical Education Minister to initiate legal action against defaulters in the case.