ICDS Demands Refund of ₹13 Crore for Unpurchased Smartphones: Department Issues Notices to Over 13,000 Anganwadi Workers
Kolkata, July 5: Over 13,000 Anganwadi workers in the state received funds to purchase smartphones for work on the ‘Poshan’ app but failed to buy them. The ICDS wing of the Department of Women, Child Development and Social Welfare has now demanded a refund of over ₹13 crore from them. The department has also sought a written explanation as to why the phones were not purchased.
Why were the funds provided?
It is mandatory for Anganwadi workers to upload daily work data to the central ‘Poshan Tracker’ app. Consequently, the government had allocated ₹10,000 to each worker for the purchase of a smartphone.
How many failed to buy the phone?
According to departmental sources, there are over 100,000 Anganwadi workers in the state. Funds were allocated for 104,284 of them. However, despite a significant lapse of time, more than 13,000 workers have still not purchased smartphones.
A departmental official stated that approximately 87.54% of the workers have purchased the phones. It is assumed that the remaining 13% either already own a phone or do not intend to buy one.
What are the department’s instructions?
Instructions have been issued to the respective Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) to collect written explanations from Anganwadi workers in blocks where phones have not yet been purchased. They must explain why the purchase was not made within the stipulated timeframe. Additionally, orders have been issued to recover the allocated funds from those who did not buy the phones.
How much money might be recovered?
At ₹10,000 per person, the total allocation for these 13,000+ workers exceeded ₹13 crore. The department estimates that the entire amount could be recovered.
Department’s Stance:
The ICDS division argues that the lack of smartphones was hindering the uploading of work data to the Poshan app, thereby disrupting overall operations. After waiting for more than six months, the decision has now been taken to reclaim the funds.
