NEW DELHI: Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V K Saxena has ordered a special audit into the alleged irregularities in the finances of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) which has been accused of misusing government’s funds by the Women and Child Welfare department, Raj Niwas officials said on Thursday.
The L-G has also directed that no further request for the allocation of funds by the city government’s child right’s panel will be entertained before the completion of inquiry and the special audit.The officials said that the Women and Child Welfare department (WCD) noticed that the demand of funds from the DCPCR has increased exponentially in recent years; from Rs 2 crore of annual budget in 2017 to over Rs 15 crore in the current financial year.
“While processing the allocation of budget for DCPCR for the Revised Estimates and Budget Estimates for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively, it was noticed by the WCD Department that the demand from the DCPCR has increased exponentially in the recent years from a mere Rs 2 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 15.20 crore in the current financial year,” the official said
‘It was also found that the DCPCR was incurring expenditures and engaging itself in activities beyond its mandate and scope of work particularly in the case of Government of India schemes such as Integrated Child Development Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandna Yojana and POSHAN Abhiyan,” the official said.There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi government after the development.
The WCD Department found that the salary components in DCPCR had increased from a mere Rs 17 lakh in 2017-18 to Rs 2 crore in the current financial year, as several consultants were hired and the salary of chairperson and members was increased without following laid down procedures, which envisage that any increase needs approval of the L-G, the official said.
“The WCD Department proposed that an inquiry may be instituted in the matter and a Special Audit should be undertaken about the misuse of government funds before any further request for allocation of funds is entertained,” the official added. The matter was examined by the Directorate of Vigilance, which found that the DCPCR is “not adhering” to the provisions as envisaged in the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, DCPCR Rules, 2008, and government notifications, etc.
“It was also found that the DCPCR was not submitting utilisation details to the Administrative Department as per norms before demanding further funds as the rules provide and not taking approval of the competent authority for increasing the salary of the chairman and members of the Commission. It was recruiting staff without taking approval of the Administrative Department,” the official said.
