Staff crunch stalls ICDS work

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Dec. 1: The centres running under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in various districts are not being able to operate properly owing to the shortage of staff.

Though the state government increased the number of ICDS centres from 56,000 to 90,000 recently and sanctioned required posts for various staffs, it could not appoint people especially supervisors to run the centres.

“In both the tribal and non-tribal belts, centres are running without supervisors,” said director of social welfare Mr KP Sinha over phone from Kolkata.

According to him, in Murshidabad's Domkol, where a total of 390 centres operate, there was only one supervisor to look after the work. The government had earlier decided that one supervisor would to look after 20 centres to run the project properly.

“Due to litigation in High Court we are not in a position to recruit staffs particularly supervisor in ICDS project,” said Mr KP Sinha. “We are trying hard to start recruitment process afresh for the sanctioned posts in ICDS to resolve the crisis,” he added. According to government official sources, a child development project office for Raiganj urban area in North Dinajpur was also running without staffs. There were no other staff except the CDPO.

A total of 93 centres were set up in Raiganj urban areas for development of children under ICDS, according to the DPO, ICDS, North Dinajpur.

In a tribal dominated block like Gazol in Malda, the government has sanctioned 36 posts for supervisors. But at present there are only 11 supervisors to look after a total of 842 centres in Gazol..

The director of social welfare also said that after few years of appointment many supervisors have been transferred to their home districts without appointment of anybody for the posts left vacant.