JOIN USStates under fire for diversion of funds in ICDS
Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states, representing divergent political hues, came under attack from the CAG for diversion of funds from the central government’s flagship Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
A CAG audit report points out that funds aggregating Rs 57.82 crore were irregularly diverted to other schemes.
In a report tabled in Parliament, it also exhibited how the Supreme Court’s direction to the Centre and states to allocate 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) by December 2008 remained a far cry as only 13.17 lakh AWCs could become functional.
The CAG also criticised the ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) for “inadequacy” in monitoring systems under the scheme to combat child malnutrition.
The report said in Karnataka, funds aggregating Rs 1.10 crore were diverted during 2006-07 to 2010-11 by child development project officer in three districts for purchase of furniture and payment of salary of ICDS staff working in zila panchayat.
It said that in Congress-ruled Haryana, Rs 38.6 crore received for supplementary nutrition was diverted during 2006-11 to Ladli scheme, payment of honorarium to anganwadi workers and for purchase of furniture for new anganwadi centres.
During Mayawati’s regime during 2008-09, it said Uttar Pradesh received Rs 1 crore received for Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities but was diverted to a state-sponsored scheme - ‘Mahamaya Garib Balika Ashirwad Yojana’ for publicity and printing of pamphlets and application forms.
The audit also pointed out another instance where Rs 6.08 crore received for IEC activities were diverted for purchase of computers.
There was similar other diversion of funds by Odisha and Rajasthan, the report said and recommended that funds should be utilised as per guidelines and that there should be no diversion of funds meant for a particular scheme.
Pointing out more irregularities, the CAG audit said in five sample states, Rs 70.11 crore of the scheme funds were retained in civil deposits, personal ledger accounts, bank accounts and treasury accounts. This not only resulted in blocking of funds but also affected implementation of the scheme, it said. The report concluded that the newly set up Central Monitoring Unit failed to deliver its assigned tasks, including concurrent evaluation of the scheme.
The CAG audit took into account the poor infrastructure of these centres and said 61 per cent of the AWCs did not have their own buildings.
Out of the AWCs checked by the audit 52 per cent of the AWCs did not have toilets and there was non-availability of drinking water facility in 32 percent of them. The audit also said that weaknesses in the ICDS had been persisting for a long time and despite their being pointed out, the ministry had not taken adequate action.
In Karnataka, funds
aggregating Rs 1.10 crore were diverted during 2006-07 to 2010-11 by child development project officer in three districts for purchase of furniture and payment of salary of ICDS staff working in zila panchayat.