The Hindu: Mumbai: Sunday, April
09, 2017.
Social
activist Anil Galgali elicited the data through a Right to Information (RTI)
application, which showed of the total sanctioned strength of officers, 692
posts, 464 remain vacant. These officers are the primary link between the State
and the social service institutions that bring various government initiatives
to vulnerable sections of women and children. The initiatives include assistance
in child birth, curbing malnutrition deaths.
Responding to
the RTI queries by Galgali, the office of the Superintendent of Women &
Child Welfare Commission revealed that 429 of the 554 posts of Child
Development Project Officers (Rural Project, class I category) were lying
vacant. Similarly, only 33 of the 104 posts for Child Development Project
Officers (Urban Project, Class I category) are yet to be filled up. Two of the
34 posts of Women and Child Officers at the district level were also lying vacant.
The RTI query
exposes the State government’s claims of ensuring a delivery mechanism that
reaches out to the vulnerable sections of society. The information gleaned by
Galgali indicates that the post of both Commissioner and Secretary is currently
held by the same person, Vinita Ved Singhal.
One
person, two posts
The
Maharashtra government appointed Singhal as Secretary (Women and Child Welfare
department) to replace Sanjay Kumar who was transferred recently. Singhal
already held the post of Commissioner in the Integrated Child Welfare Scheme
department with additional charge of the Commission.
When
contacted, Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Pankaja Munde, told The Hindu
, “We have been making efforts to fill the vacancies. However, the vacancies
have to be filled up according to the priorities of target regions. The focus
will be on Vidarbha, followed by Marathwada, and then other regions. Similarly,
we are dependent upon the Maharashtra Public Service Commission examinations to
provide us with the candidates to fill up these posts.”
Ms. Munde
added, “Two days back, the State cabinet has cleared a proposal to fill up the
vacancies in the wake of the high incidence of malnutrition cases. We will be
filling up the posts soon so that the government schemes are able to reach the
target segments of women and children.” With the cabinet nod, she added that,
“we will be filling up almost 147 posts in the coming month itself. The
vacancies will be reduced to less than 50%,” said Ms. Munde.
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