CCpur DC cracks whip to verify authenticity of CSW, probe on
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 10 2009: After several years of making its presence felt in this southern district with a staggering five-figure number of employees already enlisted on its payroll, the Central Social Welfare, Government of India (CSW-GOI), has now comes under the police radar, a move many say is a necessity to ascertain its authenticity.

The CSW-GOI has been a 'gossip' here for some years now but authorities has always opted to wash their hands off on its activities until the incumbent Deputy Commissioner Jacintha Lazarus summoned the individual in-charge of the district but merely designated as the DDO.

The office of the CSW stands in all its glory at CCpur

Talking to The Sangai Express, Lazarus said she had summoned the individual (DDO) on December 4, 2009 after receiving repeated queries from her visitors on the authenticity of the agency.

There the DDO allegedly failed to impress Lazarus on her queries for which a deadline of 24 hours was given to the former to produce all necessary documents to prove their authenticity.

As the CSW-GOI has failed to produce the demanded documents even after three days of the DC's deadline, a memo requesting the Superintendent of Police to investigate the veracity of CSW-GOI was despatched on December 8 .

The SP has confirmed receiving the same on December 9 at around 11, and accordingly the Deputy Superintendent of Police was appointed as the Investigating Officer.

Any action of the administration will now be determined by the police investigation report, said Lazarus.

The DC further said that if the CSW is genuine then it is alright, otherwise due action will be taken up.

The officer added that she has also written to the State Social Welfare Department seeking the status of the said CSW.

On being contact, Social Welfare Minister N Loken said that his Department has no knowledge about the CSW.

The appointment of a DSP to investigate the case has indicated the Police Department's keenness to prioritise the case.

Any headway made by the police in the course of their investigation is still not known at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, when contacted by this correspondent, the DDO of CSW-GOI Chingthiannem alias Nempi said their's was not an NGO but an agency of the Central Government.

"Presently we are under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, though we were initially under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment," she claimed.

When asked why she refused to produce any document before the Deputy Commissioner, Nempi said she had evaded the DC as she was told that all her documents will be confiscated.

'The moment I entered her chamber, she dubbed me as Money Collector and said all my documents will be confiscated.

I asked her, how she can do that and told her to mind her job and as I do mine, and left her,' was her limited response.

The DDO also claimed that the agency has so far instituted about 1200 sub-centres across all 10 TD Blocks in the district with an average of 8 workers in each sub-centre.

The sub-centre employee includes one post each of Peon, Chowkidar, Sweeper, LDC, Health Worker, Office Assistant, UDC and Supervisor.

Soon the CSW-GOI will be installing a Godown each in all these centres on land donated by the village chiefs, the DDO further claimed and asserted that four months salary (in bulk) for its workers in 9 out of the 10 TD blocks have already been disbursed so far.

With the insignia of the Government, the Ashoka Chakra, present in most of their credentials and the official words, Government of India intact, the agency was functioning on the lines of the Social Welfare Department, with instituting Anganwadi Centres being their primary engagements till date.

Skeptics have expressed concern over the agency as they claimed money had changed hands during appointment.

As even the district administration is still at odds on the veracity of such an agency, it is beyond the means of an individual to confirm anything as such.

A middle aged man when asked said on condition of anonymity, 'how can I know whether they are fake or genuine.

Their office was located just behind the Police Station and they should know about this, as it is not a recent affair.

They are openly running their affair and also disbursing salary to its employees, so there is no reason I should not trust them'.

Hailing from Henglep sub-division, he claimed he had given Rs 20,000 each for the appointment of his spouse as well as his daughter.

With money-for-job being a secret truth already in the entire State, it is no wonder many others had made similar claims.

Only the police investigation or an individual/organization daring to claim information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act would only confirm the nature of the agency; whether it is a boon for the community or a bane and capable of kicking off another multi-crore scam.