Toilets must for contesting polls in Gujarat, but anganwadis lack one

Children in over 5,000 anganwadis across Gujarat deprived of toilet facilities: CAG

While the Anandiben Patel government wants to ensure better sanitation practices by making toilets mandatory for contesting local body polls, over 5,000 anaganwadi centres across the state remain without toilet facilities. The performance audit by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has revealed that there were serious lapses in construction of school toilets besides poor monitoring and evaluation of Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC).

The CAG report on Local Bodies for the year ended March 2013 was tabled in the state assembly on Tuesday. It pointed out that state agencies inflated target for individual household latrines (IHHL).

“The achievement of target for IHHL has been inflated as the progress report were generated on the basis of funds released instead of actual construction of toilets,” the report stated. The report further found that sanitation coverage in the state was only 46 per cent which was much lower when compared to the progress of individual toilets as reported by the state department.

The performance audit of TSC was conducted for the period 2008-2013. The scheme provides for construction of toilets at Anganwadis (government-run nursery or primary schools). As per the target set by the Gujarat government, 22,505 Anganwadi toilets (ATs) were to be constructed by March 2009. It was later revised to 30,516 in April 2012. “Against the overall target of 30,516 ATs, the achievement was 25,422 (83 per cent) as of March 2013. The position in Jamnagar was low and achievement was only 47 per cent. Resultantly, children of Anganwadis continued to be deprived of a basic amenity due to poor implementation,” the CAG report stated.

Performance of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) done by CAG revealed that “spirit of the Constitutional Amendment for the PRIs to function as Local Self Government Institutions was not fulfilled substantially as the state government had not yet devolved 10 functions out of 29 functions to the PRIs as envisaged in the 11th schedule of the Constitution”.

The CAG also found under utilisation of funds to the tune of Rs 2,112.68 crore under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA). “The compliance Audit on infrastructure and human resource management in elementary schools run by PRIs revealed that GoI and state government’s share of Rs 2,112.68 crore under (SSA) was curtailed due to under-utilisation of funds on various activities such as training of teachers, construction of school buildings, toilets, boundary walls etc.” the report stated.

It also found that elementary schools were running without building and basic amenities guaranteed under RTE (Right to Education) Act even though sufficient funds were available.