Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena approved a proposal of the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department, GNCTD to institute an inquiry and ordered a special audit into allegations of misuse of government funds in the functioning of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR).
While processing the allocation of Budget for DCPCR for the Revised Estimates and Budget Estimates for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24 respectively, it was noticed by the DWCD that the demand from the DCPCR increased exponentially in recent years from a mere Rs 2 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 15.20 crore in the current financial year.
It was also found that the DCPCR was incurring expenditures and engaging in activities beyond its mandate and scope of work, particularly in the case of Govt of India schemes such as Integrated Child Development Schemes (ICDS), Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) and POSHAN Abhiyan.
The WCD Department found that the salary components in DCPCR had increased from a mere Rs 17 Lakh in 2017-18 to Rs 2 crore in the current financial year, as several consultants were hired and the salary of the Chairperson and members was increased without following the laid-down procedures, which envisage that any increase needs the approval of Lt. Governor.
The WCD Department accordingly proposed that an inquiry may be instituted into the matter and a Special Audit should be undertaken about the misuse of Government Funds before any further request for allocation of funds is entertained.
Thereafter, the matter was examined in detail by the Directorate of Vigilance, which found various discrepancies such as DCPCR functioning under the Administrative Control of the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) is not adhering to the provisions as envisaged in the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005 and DCPCR Rules, 2008, GFR, Government Notifications etc.
The discrepancies included not replying properly to the Audit Para of CAG and Test Audit Notes, incurring expenditures, engaging itself in activities beyond its mandate and scope of work particularly in Government of India’s schemes such as Integrated Child Development Schemes, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), POSHAN Abhiyan, and not submitting utilization details to the Administrative Department as per DCPCR Rules, 2008, before demanding further funds as the rules provide.
It also included not obtaining approval of the Competent Authority for increasing the salary of the Chairman and Members of the Commission and recruiting the staff without obtaining approval from the Administrative Department
The LG also directed that no further request for the allocation of funds by DCPCR will be entertained before the completion of the inquiry and Special Audit.
It may be noted that the Chairperson Anurag Kundu and six Members of DCPCR are politically affiliated with the AAP and one member of the Commission namely Nidhi Dwivedi is the spouse of favoured DANICS Officer Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, presently posted in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Another Member was Durgesh Pathak, who resigned on May 23, 2022, for contesting the Assembly Election.
The tenure of the chairperson and members which also include Ranjana Prasad, Nitin Tyagi, Abhinandita Dayal Mathur (AAP Spokesperson) and, Neeraj Kumar Pandey from November 12, 2020, to November 11, 2023.
The DoV after examination of the file and all the information given by the DWCD has concluded that the Audit teams while conducting the Audit of Accounts of DCPCR in the preceding years and by going through respective Audit Paras and Test Audit Notes raised the related issues, which has not been replied by DCPCR.
The DCPCR is a statutory body constituted under Section 17 of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 comprising of chairperson and six members. The major objective of the commission is to work on the issues related to education, child health, child development, Juvenile Justice, care of neglected marginalized children, children with disabilities, and children in distress, child psychology and other laws related to children.