Views seriously deputing of Junior Assistant to represent case
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 4: The failure of State Government to properly represent the case pertaining to supply of rotten food items to the Anganwari centres before the Jammu and Kashmir State Accountability Commission has led to the summoning of Commissioner / Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Mission Director and Programme Officer of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
The intensity of non-serious approach towards the proceedings of the vital Commission can be gauged from the fact that instead of sending any senior officer the Social Welfare Department chose to depute a Junior Assistant and this was taken very seriously by the Accountability Commission.
The supply of rotten food items to Anganwari centres came to the fore in Pulwama district of Kashmir valley more than one and half year back and accordingly the Accountability Commission had taken suo-moto cognizance of the same as the health of the children of underprivileged sections of society was involved. The objective behind initiating proceedings was to ensure that foolproof mechanism is put in place by the Government for supply of hygienic food items to the Anganwari centres.
On last date of hearing, the Accountability Commission had prepared a questionnaire and required the same to be answered by the Social Welfare Department on various aspects particularly relating to storage of food grains in hygienic manner, reliable sources told EXCELSIOR.
The questionnaire was required to be answered by the Mission Director of ICDS. However, when the Full Commission comprising Justice B A Khan (Chairperson) and Justice J P Singh and Justice B A Kirmani (Members) met at Srinagar few days back, the reply to the questionnaire signed by the Law Officer of the department was placed before it.
However, the reply was found to be not answered properly. Moreover, no senior officer of the Social Welfare Department or Mission Director ICDS were present before the Full Commission and this was viewed very seriously, sources said while disclosing that the Government had deputed a Junior Assistant thereby exhibiting non-serious approach towards the proceedings of the Commission that too in a case which pertains to the health of children of underprivileged sections of the society getting food-grains in the Anganwari centres.
As the Government failed to properly represent the case, the Full Commission decided not to consider the answer to its questionnaire. Accordingly, the SAC summoned Commissioner /Secretary to Government, Social Welfare Department, Mission Director and Programme Officer ICDS on next date of hearing for explaining the defiant attitude towards its proceedings, sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that right from the very beginning there was no seriousness from the officers of ICDS and Social Welfare Department towards the proceedings of the Accountability Commission, which is evident from the fact that Mission Director responded on the rotten food items issue only after being served several notices.
“Now, the Commissioner/ Secretary Social Welfare Department as well as Mission Director ICDS will have to not only answer the queries of the Accountability Commission but also apprise it about the steps taken to ensure that food-items are stored in most hygienic conditions before supply to the Anganwari centres”, sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that in November last year the Government had constituted Social Empowerment Committees at different levels in respect of social protection schemes and the mandate of such committees was to ensure operational efficiency and accountability. But, what result this step has yielded is not known to anybody and complaints about lacunas in the implementation of ICDS are still coming from different parts of the State, sources said.
“If the Accountability Commission remained unconvinced on the reply to the questionnaire on next date of hearing it may consider seeking presence of concerned public functionary—Minister for Social Welfare”, sources said.
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