Hours after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena approved a proposal of the Department of Women and Child Development 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), the Delhi government has said that stopping of funds will jeopardise the future of children, who are already being exploited.
According to Delhi government sources, in a series of witch-hunting of responsible and highly accomplished departments of the Delhi government, an enquiry has been initiated against the DCPCR.
The source said, “The Lt Governor has stopped the allocation of funds to the department, which will jeopardise the future of children who are already being exploited further plunging them towards it.”
The source added that the DCPCR is a highly accomplished department which has been prominently working towards the rights of the children.
Citing examples of the DCPCR, the source said that in the last two years, it liberated more than 800 children from child labour.
“To promote the rights of children, the DCPCR has instituted the Children’s Champion awards to recognise individuals and organisations who have contributed to the cause of children. The DCPCR has been instrumental in ensuring early childhood care, development and education through anganwadis, immunisation and combating malnutrition,” the source added.
Earlier on Thursday, Lt Governor Saxena has approved a proposal of the Department of Women and Child Development to institute an inquiry and ordered a special audit into allegations of misuse of government funds in the functioning of the DCPCR.
According to Raj Bhavan officials, 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 Department of Women and Child Development that the demand from the DCPCR has increased exponentially in the recent years from a mere Rs 2 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 15.2 crore in the current financial year.
The official said that it was also found that the DCPCR was incurring expenditures and engaging itself in activities beyond its mandate and scope of work particularly in the case of Central government schemes such as Integrated Child Development Schemes, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandna Yojana and POSHAN Abhiyan.
The official said that Saxena also directed that no further request for allocation of funds by DCPCR will be entertained before the completion of inquiry and special audit.
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