HC asks Delhi to file reply on corruption allegation

New Delhi, Jan 22 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today directed the Director Social Welfare Department and Director of Audit of Delhi Government to submit separate reports on the allegation of bungling of lakhs of rupees of funds under the Integrated Child Development Services(ICDS) schemes.

A division bench of Justices Swatanter Kumar and H R Malhotra today directed the Director Audit to place the entire audit report mentioning the main objections and Director Social Welfare to state the reasons for making payment to the tune of about Rs 20 lakh in cash in 1997-98.

Adjourning the matter till February 7, the court directed the Sales Tax department to verify the alleged false bills submitted against the payment on the purchases for the children in the capital.

The Court asked the department to explain the reasons for giving such a huge amount in cash and not in cheque.

The Sales Tax department was also asked to verify the facts whether tax on the items purchased had been paid or not.

Senior Counsel Rakesh Khanna appearing for Kusth Asha Deep Federation submitted that these irregularities and misappropriation of funds had meant for the ICDS projects had been detected by the special audit conducted during 1997-98.

These funds were meant for the benefits of poor children, said the PIL filed by Kusth Asha Deep Federation, an NGO working in the rural areas of Delhi.

The Social Welfare Department had run 28 ICDS projects at Shahdara, Govindpuri, Seemapuri, Nandnagri, Wazirpur, Sangam Vihar and Okhla.

UNI