With the Maharashtra Women and Child Development (WCD) department headed by BJP Minister Pankaja Munde facing allegations of a multi-crore chikki scam, a village in the State’s Ahmednagar district has sought action against an NGO that reportedly supplied adulterated chikkis to anganwadis across tribal areas in the State.
Irate villagers from Walunj in Ahmednagar have demanded that an FIR be registered against the Suryakanta Mahila Audyogik Sahakari Sanstha, based in the State’s coastal district of Sindhudurg, for supplying chikki adulterated with mud and sand.
Despite the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) department pulling out over seven lakh chikki bars, the villagers are not happy. “The Zilla Parishad has passed a resolution asking people not to consume chikkis; we cannot trust the results of the pending sample test from government laboratories,” said Sandesh Karle, the chairman of Walunj village.
Rules floutedAccording to the Opposition Congress, the NGO was awarded contracts amounting to a staggering Rs. 114 crore on a single day by the WCD department headed by Ms. Munde, who allegedly bypassed the e-tendering process.
A Government Resolution (GR) of December 2014 has made e-tendering compulsory for all purchases.
What is ironical is that though the Congress is training its guns on Ms. Munde, the NGO is headed by a local Congress leader in Sindhudurg, Pradnya Parab.
Veteran anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare too has demanded life imprisonment for those involved in the scam.
Test results awaitedHowever, the ICDS Commissioner said that until all sample test reports were studied, no action could be taken. “Only if there is any truth that the chikkis were indeed adulterated, can we consider registration of an FIR against the NGO,” said ICDS Commissioner Vinita Singal.
