HYDERABAD: The department of Women Development and Child Welfare (WCD) spent close to Rs 17 lakhs on the State Women’s Commission during the 2019-20 financial year, despite the Commission being only partially functional and without a chairperson, a group of activists have found via an RTI.
Telangana government has continually delayed appointing a chairperson to the Commission despite repeated rulings from the High Court of Telangana. As per the response to the RTI filed by activists, in the 2019-20 financial year, when the commission had no chairperson, it incurred an expenditure of Rs 17.61 lakh under various heads like hiring of vehicles, travel allowance etc.
The government had, in fact, allocated Rs 45.54 lakh to the commission, of which Rs 21.68 lakh was released for spending. The commission even managed to spend Rs 17,61,336. Two of the categories under which the expenses fall are hiring of vehicle — Rs 1.40 lakh and outsourcing — Rs 8.63 lakh.
The RTI further reveals that the expenses arose owing to the fact that the commission continues to function partially under a secretary, with nearly 11 staffers pulled in from other wings of WCD on an outsourcing basis. Ironically, an official has also been appointed as Personal Assistant to the non-existent Chairperson. The commission received about 235 complaints in the same phase, of which 200 were resolved.
“What the RTI reveals is that our taxpayer’s money is going to waste. Who is this person personal assistant to? All this money could have been put to fruitful use if a chairperson was appointed who could take up various issues affecting women of the state,” said Spurthi Kolipaka, a campaign strategist at Women’s Commission Matters, a campaign group demanding to set up the commission since 2018.