HC asks for CAG audit report of ICCW

The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to place before it a CAG report of the audit of Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) which is facing allegations of misappropriating the funds meant for running creches for kids of mothers working in the unorganised sector.

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva called for the Comptroller and Auditor General's findings after the court was told that the government auditor has audited ICCW on the Centre's direction and a report was awaited.

The court issued the direction while hearing ICCW's plea for reimbursement of the money it has spent, in the absence of funds from the government, on salary of its employees and getting medicines and food for children in the creches till December 31 last year.
 

ICCW, in its plea, has sought release of funds sanctioned for implementation of the Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme under which it claims to run more than 5000 day-care centres for kids of mothers working in the unorganised sector in rural and urban areas.

The court also recalled its December 30, 2016 order keeping in abeyance a letter of the Centre that allowed the state governments to take over running of the creches.

On the issue of the reimbursement of claims made by the state councils of ICCW, the court said a committee appointed by it in March 2016 will examine the documents and decide the claims state-wise as there were over 5000 creches across the country.

The committee has been asked to take a decision within three weeks and place its report before the court.

The court-appointed panel has also been asked to give a report after examining the claim of expenditure incurred by the state units of ICCW as well as the local creches under it.

The Ministry of Woman and Child Development, represented by central government standing counsel Ripudaman Bhardwaj and advocate T P Singh, said the government will not release any funds without first scrutinising the expenditures that the council has claimed to have made.