Assembly Committee checks ICDS Thoubal
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, June 07 2011:
A team of the Manipur Legislative Assembly Committee on Welfare of Women and Children led by its chairman M Okendro and MLA M Hemanta today paid a surprise visit at the ICDS Office of Thoubal district.
Interestingly the team found many irregularities in various schemes and negligence on the part of its officials.
The team could not find the CDPO when they reached his office.
They were informed that he was on leave.
Moreover the CDPO did not have a proper office room.
Broken tables and some broken chairs were found outside the office building.
There was no warehouse to store materials of Anganwadi centres.
All the materials were found scattered on the floor.
The newly constructed warehouse is being used to store plastic water tanks, according to a staff of the office.
MLA Hemanta checked the attendance register of the office and found that almost all of the staff of the office attend office once a month.
MLA Hemanta told reporters that the condition of the furniture and other materials clearly reflects the absence of the staff in the office.
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The team along with some supervisors inspected an Anganwadi centre at Khangabok Part I, Moirangpalli and found desks and benches piled over one another in a Sangoi.
When the team demanded records of beneficiary children and of food materials consumed by them each month the worker and helper failed to produce records.
According to Social Welfare Director Seityabati, government had ordered to lease private rooms to be used as warehouses of ICDS offices throughout the state.
' 5000 and ' 3500 had been sanctioned each month for the purpose in valley and hill areas respectively.
Workers and helpers are also accorded ' 400 per month as monthly expenses to bring the prepared diet from ICDS offices to their respective centres.
Hemanta told that the CDPO and Supervisors who had been neglecting their duties would be dealt with accordingly.
Later the team went to Heirok Melei ground and inspected the site for constructing SOS centres for children.
MLA Okendro told reporters that villagers have dedicated a vast area of agricultural land for the purpose.
He said that the decision to set up a SOS centre was taken in 2004 by the committee but it failed to finalize the spot.
The present spot was chosen after much discussion by the committee this year.
The committee will soon consult the Centre about the matter and seek their proposal.
Seityabati said that the SOS centre is a centre where orphaned children will be housed and raised.
Unlike orphan homes, the centre will build separate houses and four children of different age groups will be kept in each house.
Issueless widows will also be given shelter in each house and they will be given the responsibility to raise the children as her own as in a normal family.
A primary, a higher secondary school and a health centre will also be set up near the centre.
The project will not only support orphaned children but will also support issueless widows and give them a new lease of life, Okendro said.