Parl panel raps WCD min for not utilising funds

A Parliamentary committee has reprimanded the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development over a host of issues relating to the funds meant for women, including that under the Nirbhaya Fund, being underutilised.

“It is a complete irony that on the one hand, crimes against women have been rising and on the other, funds allocated to enhance the safety and security of women have remained underutilised,” read the Parliamentary standing committee on human resource development’s report about the demand for grants of the Women and Child Development Ministry. 

“In the year 2014-15, the ministry could exhaust allocated funds up to 88 per cent, which increased to 96 per cent in 2015-16. In 2016-17, the reported expenditure of the ministry is 78 per cent of the allocated funds up to 31.01.2017,” read the report, adding that a status note must be furnished on the schemes where utilisation of funds has been low.