The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : ICDS aid goes unutilised: CAG

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 31, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

ICDS aid goes unutilised: CAG

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala wasted the opportunity to avail itself of Central aid to the tune of Rs.22.14 crore under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) in 2006-07, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

In his report for the year, presented to the Assembly during its latest session, the CAG noted that the State did not avail this assistance sanctioned by the Centre for setting up 72 ICDS projects in urban areas on the basis of the population data shown by the 2001 National Census.

The CAG also noted that the State had failed to utilise a sum of Rs.78.45 crore released by the Centre as assistance under various ICDS projects during the period 2002-07. This amount constituted nearly 63 per cent of the special ICDS assistance sanctioned for the State during this period. As of March 2007, the State could set up only 2,745 of the 6,722 ‘additional anganwadi centres’ sanction ed by the Centre in November 2005 and February 2007.

“More than half the number of anganwadi centres functioning in the State did not have basic minimum facilities like own buildings, toilets, drinking water and weighing scales. The food items chosen for supplementary nutrition did not have stipulated nutritive value and also did not take care of the micro nutrient needs of the beneficiaries. Internal audit wing was not constituted in the Directorate of Social Welfare as of April 2007,” the CAG said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala