NACO enquiry into the alleged misuse of funds meant for HIV/AIDS projects in Maharashtra may open a can of worms for the bureaucracy.
NGOs allege government agencies demanded bribe for implementing the project
MUMBAI: The National AIDS Control Organisation’s (NACO) enquiry into the alleged misuse of funds meant for HIV/AIDS projects in Maharashtra may open a can of worms for the bureaucracy.
It may be recollected that a recent World Bank report exposed glaring discrepancies in the National AIDS Control Programme-II in Mumbai and Maharashtra. It revealed lack of financial control over the money given to the NGOs, improper selection of NGOs and rampant demand for bribe.
A team of officials from NACO came down from Delhi on Friday to collect evidence from the non-governmental organisations on whether they had ever faced harassment of any form from the governmental agencies. And the answer was a resounding “yes” from the NGOs.
The NACO is trying to collect evidences of corruption against Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) that implements the AIDS programmes at the state level, and the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS) that works for the city. The functioning of these two nodal bodies has already been questioned in the World Bank report.
Three of the NGOs alleged that they backed out of the AIDS project as they could not afford to bribe officials and thus, failed to bag any of the programmes. “We had to let go of projects as some of the MDACS officials demanded 10-20 per cent of the project money funded by the NACO,” said one of the NGOs, requesting anonymity. The officials demanded bribe at every step and if refused, delayed their payments by several months, the member added.
Some of the NGOs also claimed that “external consultants” were thriving in the HIV/AIDS business. “There are consultants who provide readymade projects to the NGOs with a promise that they would get it sanctioned from the MDACS as well,” said another NGO member. “Even these consultants demand about 20 per cent of the sanctioned funds meant for the project,” the member added.
NACO’s National Programme Advisor Dr Samarjit Jana admitted that informal complaints against the MDACS and MSACS always existed. “But, we never had officially documented complaints against them,” he said. The World Bank’s report gave them the much-needed reason to initiate enquiry against the policy-makers themselves.
When questioned, Dr Prakash Sabde, project director of MSACS, refused to talk on the issue. “I am not in a position to comment on this,” he said.
Even the project director of MDACS, Dr Nirupa Borges, said that she had no details about the allegations made by the NGOs. There are 22 NGOs functioning under the MDACS.
d_sumitra@dnaindia.net
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