CAG pulls up Odisha govt on ICDS

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has pulled up Odisha government for improper implementation of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme and said the expenditure for this was less than the budgetary provision by Rs 1,239.23 crore.
Performance audit on implementation of ICDS scheme covering the period 2011-16 showed that the expenditure was less than the budgetary provision by Rs 1,239.23 crore, CAG said in its report on general and social sector for the year ended March 2016.
The statement of expenditure and utilisation certificates (UCs) submitted to the Government of India were based on treasury drawals and not on actual expenditure, said the CAG report tabled in the state Assembly yesterday.

In the sampled seven districts, Rs 102.77 crore remained utilised with the District Social Welfare Officers as of March 2016, it said.
The report said funds were also not provided for supply of medicine kits and pre-school education (PSE) kits, due to which the department could not avail central assistance of Rs 81.75 crpre.
Out of 38.39 lakh children considered eligible, 3.58 lakh (9 per cent) in the state were not provided supplementary nutrition, while supply of foodstuff under the scheme was not managed properly, due to which instances of short/non-supply of eggs and 'rasi ladu' were observed, it said.

Stating that quality control mechanism for take home ration was not effective, the report said stock management of wheat and rice under Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) was deficient, while misappropriation of rice was observed in 12 Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) under Joda (T) Project.

Out of 82.03 lakh enrolled children, 5.56 lakh (7 per cent) did not attend pre-school education, while health check-up was provided to only 30 per cent of the eligible children, 56 per cent of the pregnant women and 50 per cent of the nursing mothers in the state during the period, it said.
Out of 71,306 Anganwadi Centres in the state, only 28,187 (40 per cent) had dedicated ICDS buildings. The pace of construction of ICDS buildings was slow, as only 14,059 (53 per cent) out of 26,690 buildings, sanctioned for construction during 2010-16, were completed, the report said.

Dur to non-submission of Utilisation Certificates to the Central government for the funds sanctioned during 2013-14 for construction of Anganwadi Centres, the department could not avail central assistance of Rs 93.76 crore, it said.
Stating that the department had not operationalised 1,281 Anganwadi Centres even after 18 months of sanction, it said 76 per cent of the centres had no toilet facilities and infrastructure facilities at the Anganwadis were not adequate even after four decades of implementation of the scheme.
The CAG report said tht monitoring and supervision of implementation of the scheme was not adequate.