Posers raised over selection of NGOs
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 25 2019:
Many quarters have raised strong suspicion that the State Government has been indulging in fraudulence in the process of selection of NGOs to which financial assistance would be provided under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) .
Notably, ICPS is a project taken up by the Ministry of Women and Child Development under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 with the primary objective of protecting destitute children.
The scheme is implemented in the State by Social Welfare Department through NGOs.
Under ICPS, a child living in a destitute home is given Rs 25,920 in a year.
NGOs which are running such destitute or children homes are given non-recurring amount of Rs 14,94,000 in a year for payment of monthly salaries to 10 employees.
Moreover, such NGOs are given contingency fund of Rs 2,00,000, Rs 80,000 as transportation charge, Rs 1,20,000 per month as electricity bill and Rs 35,000 per month for payment of room rent.
In another word, a children home having 50 inmates can get up to Rs 36,34,000 in a year as nonrecurring grant.
A children home once enlisted under the ICPS will receive all the benefits continuously as long as there are destitute children in the home.
Given the huge amounts invested in children homes by the Government of India, there are growing suspicions of fraudulence in the process of selecting NGOs which are running children homes.
A list of NGOs selected by the Social Welfare Department is sent to the Ministry of Women and Child Development every year for monetary assistance.
NGOs which are running children homes would first submit applications to the Social Welfare Department along with projects prepared by themselves in accordance with the guidelines of ICPS.
After receiving the applications, Child Protection Officers (CPO) of districts concerned would conduct field assessment of the applicants (NGOs) .
As per the guidelines, a children home or institute having 25 children should have a dormitory of 1000 square feet.
If the number of children is 50, the home should have two such dormitories.
For every 25 children, there should be a classroom of 300 square feet, a sick room or first aid room of 750 square feet for every 10 children, a kitchen of 250 square feet, a dining hall of 800 square feet, one store room of 250 square feet, a recreation room of 300 square feet and a library room of 500 square feet.
In addition, children homes should have adequate number of bathrooms, toilets, office rooms, counselling and guidance rooms, residence for person-in-charge, two rooms for Juvenile Justice Board or Child Welfare Committee and playgrounds.
After inspecting whether the applicants (NGOs) have all these infrastructure and requirements, the CPOs would submit a report to the department.
Based on the reports of CPOs, the department would recommend the names of NGOs eligible for financial assistance under ICPS, sources informed.
For the current financial year 2019-2020, Social Welfare Department recommended 31 NGOs to the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
After the 31 NGOs were tabled before the Government of India's project screening committee, the same list had been approved in principle by the PAB.
However, out of the 31 NGOs, many were never inspected by CPOs concerned for their addresses as well as the addresses of children homes purportedly run by them were unclear or unknown, conveyed the sources.
On the other hand, a number of NGOs which have been taking care of destitute children at their own expense have been left out of the list recommended for financial assistance under ICPS.
Out of the 31 NGOs approved by the PAB in principal, two are based in Kangpokpi district, two in Tengnoupal district, three in Noney district, six in Imphal East, three in Imphal West, three in Bishnupur, two in Jiribam, three in Kakching district, one in Pherzawl, one in Chandel district, three in Thoubal district and two in Ukhrul district, the sources added.
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