Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved a WCD Department's proposal to institute an inquiry and ordered a special audit into alleged misuse of government funds by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Raj Niwas officials said on Thursday.

Saxena also directed that no further request for allocation of funds by the DCPCR will be entertained before the completion of inquiry and special audit.

Government sources said this move comes in a "series of witch-hunting of responsible and highly accomplished departments" of the city government.

"The LG has stopped the allocation of funds to the the DCPCR, which will jeopardize the future of children who are already being exploited further plunging them towards it," a source said.

The Women and Child Development (WCD) Department noticed that the demand of funds from the DCPCR has increased exponentially in the recent years, a Raj Niwas official said.

"While processing the allocation of budget for DCPCR for the Revised Estimates and Budget Estimates for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively, it was noticed by the WCD Department that the demand from the DCPCR has increased exponentially in the recent years from a mere Rs 2 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 15.20 crore in the current financial year.

"It was also found that the DCPCR was incurring expenditures and engaging itself in activities beyond its mandate and scope of work particularly in the case of Government of India schemes such as Integrated Child Development Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandna Yojana and POSHAN Abhiyan," the official said.

There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi government.

The WCD Department found that the salary components in DCPCR had increased from a mere Rs 17 lakh in 2017-18 to Rs 2 crore in the current financial year, as several consultants were hired and the salary of chairperson and members was increased without following laid down procedures, which envisage that any increase needs approval of the LG, the official said.

"The WCD Department proposed that an inquiry may be instituted in the matter and a Special Audit should be undertaken about the misuse of government funds before any further request for allocation of funds is entertained," the official added.

The matter was examined by the Directorate of Vigilance, which found that the DCPCR is "not adhering" to the provisions as envisaged in the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, DCPCR Rules, 2008, and government notifications, etc.

"It was also found that the DCPCR was not submitting utilization details to the Administrative Department as per norms before demanding further funds as the rules provide and not taking approval of the competent authority for increasing the salary of the chairman and members of the Commission. It was recruiting staff without taking approval of the Administrative Department," the official said.

The DCPCR is a highly accomplished department which has been working towards the rights of the children, the government sources said.

"In the last two years, the DCPCR has liberated more than 800 children from child labour. To promote the rights of children, the DCPCR has instituted the Children's Champion Awards to recognize individuals and organizations who have contributed to the cause of children," the source stressed.

The DCPCR has been instrumental in ensuring early childhood care, development, and education through anganwadis, immunization, and combating malnutrition, the sources said.

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