Creche scam: In UP, women give birth every three months

Can a woman give birth to kids after every three months? It may sound bizarre but it was made possible in Uttar Pradesh by NGOs, running Mobile Creche Scheme (Sachal Palna Yojana) for labour classes and daily-wagers, started by the former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav during his regime in 2013-14.

During the course of an inquiry on the directions of the Allahabad High Court, the CBI found these anomalies when it checked and verified documents submitted by about 300 NGOs to the Social Welfare Department. Running the scheme on papers only, a fund of Rs 68 crore was siphoned off in launching year of the scheme.

Under the scheme, the state government was to take care of children of labour classes and daily-wagers aged between three months to six years while their parents were away to earn their livings by opening government-sponsored creche. The kids were to be provided fooding, lodging, clothing and medical facilities.

The State Social Welfare Department was made the nodal agency to implement the scheme in consultation with the labour department. The department sought support from NGOs and social welfare organizations. 

Each NGO was allowed to enroll and house only 25 kids at a time. Within no time, individuals and organisations posing as NGOs, looted the fund without opening any crèche.

As per records and payment made by the Social Wefare department, aout 300 NGOs and Social organization had opened over 3,000 creche across 71 districts in the state under the scheme which was aimed at take good care kids of labour classes.

“When we checked records, we found that majority of the crèche were running on papers only. There were crèche who had enrolled five-five kids of a single parent with their age difference of only three to six months. How is it possible that a woman gave birth every three months?” confided a CBI officer.

Interestingly, it could be the only government scheme in which NGOs were made payment in advance even before registration of children. When the CBI tried to verify names and addresses of parents whose kids were enrolled in the creche, the investigative agency found that majority of these parents did not exist.

“They created non-existent parents on papers to enroll fake kids for completing paper formalities to pocket state funds. To ensure that they are not caught, majority of the NGOs made cash payments to doctors, maid servants and cooks against the government rules,” pointed the CBI officer.

The CBI has completed only preliminary investigation in the crèche scam. Many more skeletons would tumble out of the cupboard when it verifies documents of NGOs and social organizations.

When the crèche scam came to the fore, then Akhilesh government had cancelled the scheme from next financial but by that  these NGOs had already siphoned off Rs 68 crore from the state exchequer through fraudulent means.

The pace of the CBI probe had slowed down during the erstwhile regime as many Samajwadis would also get exposed but Chief Miister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to help CBI speed up the inquiry and submit its report at the earliest for initiating action.

The investigative agency has issued notices to 11 districts social welfare officials who are yet to submit documents required by the CBI. During the second phase of its inquiry, the CBI is likely to lay its hands on owners of NGOs and officials allegedly hand in glove with them in releasing funds without verifying documents.