Over 600 child care homes received up to 6 lakh per child in foreign funds in 2018-19 (Representational)
Over 600 child care institutions, run by NGOs and housing 28,000 children, received up to Rs 6 lakh per child in foreign funds in 2018-19, far more than the estimated average expenditure, the top child rights body NCPCR said as it expressed apprehensions of possible financial irregularities.
In a random analysis of information about 638 NGO-run CCIs in five states, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) found that in 2018-19 the average amount they collected was between Rs 2.12 lakh to Rs 6.60 lakh per child and it is now planning a country-wide exercise to examine the foreign funding and expenditure of such NGOs, according to NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo.
In this exercise, data available on the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) website of the Ministry of Home Affairs (fcraonline.nic.in) for the year 2018-19 was used.
As per the Child Protection Scheme, the expenditure per child per annum including all recurring expenses is about Rs 60,000.
"Such a high amount of money collected by the NGOs has raised concerns about possible siphoning of funds. We will be carrying out a country-wide exercise and, accordingly, action would be taken," Mr Kanoongo told PTI.
He said a "country-wide analysis" of the foreign funds received by NGOs run child care institutions will be carried out.
The data of child care institutions from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were analysed.
In Andhra Pradesh, 145 CCIs run by NGOs received Rs 409 crore for 6,202 children. This amounts to annual spending of Rs 6.6 lakh per child.
In Telangana, 67 such CCIs received Rs 145 crore for 3735 children. It amounts to spending Rs 3.88 lakh per child.
In Kerala, 107 CCIs run by NGOs received Rs 85.39 crore for 4,242 children, which means annual spending of Rs 2.01 lakh per child.
In Karnataka, 45 CCIs run by NGOs received Rs 66.62 crore for 3111 children. This amounts to spending Rs 2.14 lakh per child, the analysis showed.
In Tamil Nadu, 274 such CCIs received Rs 248 crore for 1,1702 children or Rs 2.12 lakh per child, it said.