IMPHAL, July 30: The Director of State Social Welfare Department, Th Chitra Devi who had taken charge of the Department earlier in January this year has been transferred.
According to reliable sources, Th Chitra has been transferred within six months as she has reportedly not been conforming to her duties in a timely manner and for further heightening the issues of backlog payment of Anganwadi workers, helpers and subordinate staff. It may be mentioned that there is a backlog of 14 months due salary for the ICDS staff.
After taking charge from the earlier Director namely G Satyabati Devi, the Department had a major financial burden to overcome as the backlog salary had still remained pending.
IFP had earlier pointed out the root cause of the financial problems as to have been caused since 2008 and due to absorption of a maximum number of Anganwadi workers and creation of Anganwadi centres more than the number sanctioned from the Ministry then.
This paper had also highlighted that more than a gap of Rs 50 crores was created due to the additional absorption.
The Centre has been sanctioning 90 percent of funds for ICDS and 10 percent is borne by the State government and around Rs 6,11,32,996 has to be paid as salary for the ICDS workers in a month. There is yet a total of Rs 45,27,79,986 to be released from the Ministry and the State has to cough up an additional Rs 7,22,56,370 for the wages.
It may be mentioned that Anganwadi workers had earlier threatened a cease work strike unless wages were paid but reached a conclusion following the assurance given by the concerned Minister.
As Th Chitra had taken charge in January, the Utilisation Certificate (UC) for the second installment (three months) had to be cleared. The report was given to her in January but sent the UC only on March 28.
According to sources, if she had sent the UC by March 26, then wages for three months would have been sanctioned by the Ministry and would have provided a balm for the deprived ICDS staff.
“This amounts to criminal negligence; the ICPS and ICDS have been totally ignored” said a concerned worker.
Regarding the sensitive issues of safeguarding the rights of the children in care and protection under the Department, gross negligence by Th Chitra has been alleged.
Sources cite that when a physically handicapped abandoned baby being looked after by the Department and the child’s deformed fingers had to be operated, there was no financial sanction for incurring the expenditure of the operation and money had to come from private funding. There was also no arrangement from the Director’s side for such emergency cases of abandoned children and other emergency issues like repatriation of trafficked children.
Recently a baby who was abandoned on July 19 also had to be hospitalised.
For this too, there was no arrangement for immediate medical expenses. It is is also learned from reliable sources that Rs 10 lacs had been sanctioned early this year for a scheme titled “Balika Smirdhi Yojana “which is aimed at benefiting the girl children. It is yet uncertain whether this Head has been fully utilized for the intended target group.
It was also learnt that the Director kept two Boleros for her personal use which are meant to be used by ICDS officials for ground work. The extra vehicle and fuel had been used by her since March which points to the direction that she had been misusing her authority and against the Government entitlement.
To clear up the backlog and straightening other financial matters, Principal secretary Barun Mittra is presently at Delhi to request the concerned Ministry for releasing the needed funds.
Hence, the source maintained that there has been gross negligence from Chitra in dispensing her duties and hence transferred from the Department.
The new director is L Ibobi, who was also a former under- secretary of the Social Welfare Department.