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NEWS ALERTS | CONTRACTUAL CORRUPTION IN MAHARASHTRA’S ICDS: FULL SUPREME COURT REPORT

CONTRACTUAL CORRUPTION IN MAHARASHTRA’S ICDS: FULL SUPREME COURT REPORT

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published Published on Nov 6, 2012   modified Modified on Nov 6, 2012

On November 23, the Supreme Court is slated to hear a damning report submitted by the court-appointed Commissioners on how politically connected contractors—legally barred from the ICDS program—might be subverting the social welfare measure in the state of Maharashtra. 

The ICDS is an Rs 8000 crore government-funded program aimed at ending India’s abysmal rates of child malnutrition by supplying hot cooked meals and take home rations to children through decentralised women-run, co-operatives (mahila mandals) or self-help groups. Through multiple orders in the past decade, the court has banned large commercial contractors from running the program – directives, which the Maharashtra government seems to be openly flouting.  

The report has been put together by Biraj Patnaik, Principal Adviser to the Commissioners, and argues that “there is a close nexus between contractors, politicians, and bureaucrats” in the state, which “would not have been possible without the active complicity of the highest levels of governance..”

The report says that 3 Mahila Mandals are in charge of the ICDS program in the state, but these are merely a front for private agro companies to whom the program has been leased out. An analysis of official documents in the report shows that the Mahila Mandals and the private companies are run by the same families. Media reports have suggested these families enjoy close ties to the state's politicians

Entrusting the ICDS program in this manner to opaque and remote contractors has adversely impact its quality, says the report. For example food samples of sheera and upma given to children did not meet the required government-specified protein and calorie norms. The Maharashtra government’s own probes have also indicated the poor quality of food, but no action has been taken arguing that the matter is subjudice, pointing to an ongoing case in the Bombay High Court

The Commissioners have asked the Supreme Court to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which should probe the matter and present its findings.
 
References:
 

Report on Status ofSupply of Take Home Rations (THR) in Maharashtra by Biraj Patnaik submitted tothe Supreme Court, 31st October, 2012,

http://www.righttofoodindia.org/data/commissioners/Novembe
r_2012_report_principal_advisor_maharashtra_contractor_icd
s_31_october_2012.pdf

 

Punish privateprofiteers responsible for stealing children's food, Asian Human RightsCommission, 6 November, 2012, http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-223-2012

 

Food worth crores forpoor children siphoned off in Maharashtra, finds Supreme Court panel-SaurabhGupta and Mala Das, NDTV, 3 November, 2012,

http://www.im4change.org/rural-news-update/food-worth-cror
es-for-poor-children-siphoned-off-in-maharashtra-finds-sup
reme-court-panel-saurabh-gupta-and-mala-das-17930.html

 

Maharashtra foodscam: Private companies eat up Rs 1,000cr meant for poor -Nitin Sethi, TheTimes of India, 3 November, 2012, http://www.im4change.org/rural-news-update/maharashtra-foo
d-scam-private-companies-eat-up-rs-1000cr-meant-for-poor-n
itin-sethi-17967.html

 

Report in SC slamsstates for 'politician-contractor nexus’-Utkarsh Anand, The Indian Express, 3November, 2012, http://www.im4change.org/rural-news-update/report-in-sc-sl
ams-states-for-politician-contractor-nexus-utkarsh-anand-1
7968.html
 
 


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