Scams in ICDS projects can ruin India's human capital
When on the one hand India is adding to its indigenous list of billionaires in Forbes’s list and other journals it is also increasing the count of hungry children that is such an embarrassment for a country of extremes such as ours. Worse, the money allocated to mitigate the malaise is being diverted and misappropriated by the vested interests involved. It’s a worst form of socio-economic malady and a shame for the nation that should have raised the eyebrows of our institutions and administrations – but it didn’t!
India’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) has been unable to stem the rot in the system and must be revamped. It must be revamped because it is not armed with the power to monitor the government’s role in fund utilization. The funds released by the Central government are often misused by the states, denying the children the benefits of ICDS schemes. The worst offenders are the governments of Bihar and Jharkhand that through a nexus of politicians and bureaucrats diverted funds meant for nourishment of impoverished children. The mid-day meals are denied to school children and finances for the same are diverted to the fat pockets of the stakeholders! It has been a practise that has plagued not only to the two states mentioned but has been prevalent across the country in varying degrees. There are allegations of audit mismatch in the internal function ICDS too. The audit report notes that Rs.57.82 crore is diverted to the non-permissible schemes of ICDS in five test-checked states. There are further reports of fund diversion to the tune Rs.70.11 crore that have been parked elsewhere. The reports of poor infrastructure to deliver the schemes only add to the problem – 61% of the test-checked anganwadis in operation under the ICDS do not have a proper building of their own and 25% manage it through covered shelters. The unsettling effect continues with the vanishing medical kits in 33-49% of the anganwadis due to failure of the state governments in spending funds released by the Centre. Also 26% of the children’s weighing machines and 58% of the adult weighing machines failed to make it to the centres. The essential utensils required for providing supplementary nutrition to the beneficiaries are also not available in many places. A new survey conducted by Citizen's Alliance against Malnutrition and the Nandi Foundation drives home the shocking reality check that despite India’s economy tripling since the beginning of this century, the level of child malnutrition has not dropped. More than half of all child deaths are associated with malnutrition, which weakens the body's resistance to illness. The Nandi Foundation survey revealed that 42% of Indians under the age of five are underweight – a manifestation of inadequate nutrition.
When on the one hand India is adding to its indigenous list of billionaires in Forbes’s list and other journals it is also increasing the count of hungry children that is such an embarrassment for a country of extremes such as ours. Worse, the money allocated to mitigate the malaise is being diverted and misappropriated by the vested interests involved. It’s a worst form of socio-economic malady and a shame for the nation that should have raised the eyebrows of our institutions and administrations – but it didn’t!
India’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) has been unable to stem the rot in the system and must be revamped. It must be revamped because it is not armed with the power to monitor the government’s role in fund utilization. The funds released by the Central government are often misused by the states, denying the children the benefits of ICDS schemes. The worst offenders are the governments of Bihar and Jharkhand that through a nexus of politicians and bureaucrats diverted funds meant for nourishment of impoverished children. The mid-day meals are denied to school children and finances for the same are diverted to the fat pockets of the stakeholders! It has been a practise that has plagued not only to the two states mentioned but has been prevalent across the country in varying degrees. There are allegations of audit mismatch in the internal function ICDS too. The audit report notes that Rs.57.82 crore is diverted to the non-permissible schemes of ICDS in five test-checked states. There are further reports of fund diversion to the tune Rs.70.11 crore that have been parked elsewhere. The reports of poor infrastructure to deliver the schemes only add to the problem – 61% of the test-checked anganwadis in operation under the ICDS do not have a proper building of their own and 25% manage it through covered shelters. The unsettling effect continues with the vanishing medical kits in 33-49% of the anganwadis due to failure of the state governments in spending funds released by the Centre. Also 26% of the children’s weighing machines and 58% of the adult weighing machines failed to make it to the centres. The essential utensils required for providing supplementary nutrition to the beneficiaries are also not available in many places. A new survey conducted by Citizen's Alliance against Malnutrition and the Nandi Foundation drives home the shocking reality check that despite India’s economy tripling since the beginning of this century, the level of child malnutrition has not dropped. More than half of all child deaths are associated with malnutrition, which weakens the body's resistance to illness. The Nandi Foundation survey revealed that 42% of Indians under the age of five are underweight – a manifestation of inadequate nutrition.
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