The Indian Express: Chandigarh: Sunday, 18 June 2023.
Details obtained through RTI requests reveal that in 2016-17, the Chandigarh social welfare department spent a meagre Rs 72,846, followed by Rs 1.34 lakh in 2017-18, utilising the remaining funds from previous years.
The Nirbhaya fund, set up in response to the heinous Delhi gangrape case, was intended to protect the dignity and safety of women in India. However, questions loom over the utilisation of this crucial fund within the UT Social Welfare Department in Chandigarh. The response to an application filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI) by The Indian Express reveals that a significant portion of the Nirbhaya fund, amounting to Rs 1.32 crore, has been spent on seemingly trivial expenses like stationery, staff salaries, travel, and communication. This raises concerns about the prioritisation of the fund.
From 2015-16 to 2022-23, the Child and Women Development Corporation Limited under the UT Social welfare department received an amount of Rs 1,32,66,572. The RTI reply states that other than establishing a one-stop centre named Sakhi in Sector 26 in the Nari Niketan premises, the funds were primarily directed towards expenditures such as staff salaries, IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) materials, travel and conveyance, stationery, and telephone charges. However, the specific amounts attributed to each category or project were not provided in the RTI reply received by The Indian Express.
The Nirbhaya fund is to be utilised by the Social welfare department and the Police but no response has been received from the police yet.
After poor utilisation in the initial years, the Chandigarh department utilised a significant amount from the Nirbhaya Fund during the pandemic. In 2020-21 and 2021-22, while the nation grappled with the virus, the department spent Rs 60 lakh in total, with Rs 30.61 lakh in 2020-21 and Rs 30 lakh in 2021-22. The allocation for 2022-23 was Rs 33.09 lakh, resulting in a cumulative spending of approximately Rs 90 lakh over three years.
The allocation and utilisation of funds by the social welfare department in Chandigarh over the years have been questionable. In 2015-16, out of the allocated amount of Rs 13,19,120, the department spent a mere 19 percent, or Rs 2,51,323. The unspent amount was carried forward to subsequent years, with Rs 9.94 lakh carried forward in 2016-17 and Rs 8.59 lakh in 2017-18. During these years, no new allocation was made.
Details obtained through RTI requests reveal that in 2016-17, the department spent a meagre Rs 72,846, followed by Rs 1.34 lakh in 2017-18, utilising the remaining funds from previous years. The mentioned years saw no allocation of Nirbhaya funds to the department.
In 2019-20, the department received an allocation of Rs 18.07 lakh, in addition to carried forward funds, and spent Rs 22.62 lakh during that period.
In a parliamentary session in 2019, the then Women and Child Development Minister, Smriti Irani, expressed concern over the low utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund. She lamented the difference between policy and implementation, highlighting the need for effective utilisation of the fund.
The Women and Child Development Ministry served as the nodal agency responsible for the Nirbhaya Fund’s expenditure. Initially, the ministry released the funds directly, but the process has since changed. Currently, the ministry evaluates programs submitted by states under the Nirbhaya scheme, approves them, and recommends fund allocation to the Department of Economic Affairs.
When asked about the fund utilisation in Chandigarh, Director of the Social Welfare, women and child welfare Department, Palika Arora, said the funds were used as per the mandate, primarily for salaries at the One-Stop Centre and the women helpline. Arora clarified that the social welfare department was only responsible for these two schemes, while the remaining funds were allocated to the police department.
The Home Secretary, Nitin Yadav, who also holds the charge of Secretary in the Social Welfare Department, did not respond to inquiries regarding the specific usage of the Nirbhaya fund. When informed that the RTI reply mentioned staff salaries, IEC materials, travel expenses, stationery, and telephone charges as utilisation categories, Yadav provided a different response, stating, “They don’t spend that money as it is transferred to the police department.
‘Call after 2 pm, I can’t guide you’, says woman attending the helpline
A one stop centre (OSC) in a different building in the Nari Niketan premises of Sector 26 has been established. When The Indian Express called the helpline number seeking help in the morning for being in distress, the attendant asked to call after 2 pm.
“You call after 2 pm only. I am not the one who can guide you,” the lady attending the call said.
At 2.40 pm, an attempt was again made.
The lady attending the call asked to give a complaint and after that they would decide if counselling is required. OSC has been established with the intent to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community, and at the workplace. Women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and economic abuse, irrespective of age, class, caste, education status, marital status, race and culture are supposed to be facilitated with support and redressal.
Details obtained through RTI requests reveal that in 2016-17, the Chandigarh social welfare department spent a meagre Rs 72,846, followed by Rs 1.34 lakh in 2017-18, utilising the remaining funds from previous years.
The Nirbhaya fund, set up in response to the heinous Delhi gangrape case, was intended to protect the dignity and safety of women in India. However, questions loom over the utilisation of this crucial fund within the UT Social Welfare Department in Chandigarh. The response to an application filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI) by The Indian Express reveals that a significant portion of the Nirbhaya fund, amounting to Rs 1.32 crore, has been spent on seemingly trivial expenses like stationery, staff salaries, travel, and communication. This raises concerns about the prioritisation of the fund.
From 2015-16 to 2022-23, the Child and Women Development Corporation Limited under the UT Social welfare department received an amount of Rs 1,32,66,572. The RTI reply states that other than establishing a one-stop centre named Sakhi in Sector 26 in the Nari Niketan premises, the funds were primarily directed towards expenditures such as staff salaries, IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) materials, travel and conveyance, stationery, and telephone charges. However, the specific amounts attributed to each category or project were not provided in the RTI reply received by The Indian Express.
The Nirbhaya fund is to be utilised by the Social welfare department and the Police but no response has been received from the police yet.
After poor utilisation in the initial years, the Chandigarh department utilised a significant amount from the Nirbhaya Fund during the pandemic. In 2020-21 and 2021-22, while the nation grappled with the virus, the department spent Rs 60 lakh in total, with Rs 30.61 lakh in 2020-21 and Rs 30 lakh in 2021-22. The allocation for 2022-23 was Rs 33.09 lakh, resulting in a cumulative spending of approximately Rs 90 lakh over three years.
The allocation and utilisation of funds by the social welfare department in Chandigarh over the years have been questionable. In 2015-16, out of the allocated amount of Rs 13,19,120, the department spent a mere 19 percent, or Rs 2,51,323. The unspent amount was carried forward to subsequent years, with Rs 9.94 lakh carried forward in 2016-17 and Rs 8.59 lakh in 2017-18. During these years, no new allocation was made.
Details obtained through RTI requests reveal that in 2016-17, the department spent a meagre Rs 72,846, followed by Rs 1.34 lakh in 2017-18, utilising the remaining funds from previous years. The mentioned years saw no allocation of Nirbhaya funds to the department.
In 2019-20, the department received an allocation of Rs 18.07 lakh, in addition to carried forward funds, and spent Rs 22.62 lakh during that period.
In a parliamentary session in 2019, the then Women and Child Development Minister, Smriti Irani, expressed concern over the low utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund. She lamented the difference between policy and implementation, highlighting the need for effective utilisation of the fund.
The Women and Child Development Ministry served as the nodal agency responsible for the Nirbhaya Fund’s expenditure. Initially, the ministry released the funds directly, but the process has since changed. Currently, the ministry evaluates programs submitted by states under the Nirbhaya scheme, approves them, and recommends fund allocation to the Department of Economic Affairs.
When asked about the fund utilisation in Chandigarh, Director of the Social Welfare, women and child welfare Department, Palika Arora, said the funds were used as per the mandate, primarily for salaries at the One-Stop Centre and the women helpline. Arora clarified that the social welfare department was only responsible for these two schemes, while the remaining funds were allocated to the police department.
The Home Secretary, Nitin Yadav, who also holds the charge of Secretary in the Social Welfare Department, did not respond to inquiries regarding the specific usage of the Nirbhaya fund. When informed that the RTI reply mentioned staff salaries, IEC materials, travel expenses, stationery, and telephone charges as utilisation categories, Yadav provided a different response, stating, “They don’t spend that money as it is transferred to the police department.
‘Call after 2 pm, I can’t guide you’, says woman attending the helpline
A one stop centre (OSC) in a different building in the Nari Niketan premises of Sector 26 has been established. When The Indian Express called the helpline number seeking help in the morning for being in distress, the attendant asked to call after 2 pm.
“You call after 2 pm only. I am not the one who can guide you,” the lady attending the call said.
At 2.40 pm, an attempt was again made.
The lady attending the call asked to give a complaint and after that they would decide if counselling is required. OSC has been established with the intent to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community, and at the workplace. Women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and economic abuse, irrespective of age, class, caste, education status, marital status, race and culture are supposed to be facilitated with support and redressal.
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