Stealing Money meant for Children – what happened next?

The reader may remember this story circulated by CHRI a few months ago. By way of recollecting in brief this is what had happened –

Mr. Vishwajeet Maitee of Katni district in Madhya Pradesh had filed an RTI application seeking information about the rates at which first aid kits were procured for use in the teaching centres established under the Indus Child Labour Project. This project, aimed at rehabilitating rescued child labourers by providing them with education and vocational skills, is sponsored by the International Labour Organisation. This project is being implemented in five districts including Katni in MP.

The RTI intervention revealed gross overpricing of the medical kits amounting to a loss of more than Rs. 100,000 for the project. Subsequently spot checks conducted by Dr. Rakesh Ranjan of Sandhan, Katni as to the contents of these kits revealed that the supplies were of poor quality.

While this story was being read and discussed in cyberspace, Dr. Rakesh Ranjan decided to take the matter right up to the ILO. He wrote to the concerned officers at ILO attaching copies of all documents and bills collected as evidence. The project managers wrote back to the District Collector Katni requesting an inquiry into the matter. The Collector issued a show cause notice to the Project Director of Indus based in Katni. Subsequent proceedings led to the recovery of Rs. 80,000/- from the supplier. A small victory against corruption indeed.

The supplier contends in his defence that he has to pay bribes in order to secure a supply contract in his favour despite a competitive bidding process followed by the public authorities. Hence the overpricing of the medical kits. RTI activists in MP are now formulating strategies to unmask corrupt officials. This is a hard task as very often favours given to officials do not leave a paper trail.

But there’s more on RTI interventions relating to the Indus Project coming in our next despatch.

Compiled by Venkatesh Nayak for CHRI, New Delhi.

(Mr. Vishwajeet Maitee is an active member of the Madhya Pradesh Suchana Adhikar Abhiyan. Dr. Rakesh Ranjan runs Sandhan - an NGO based in Katni and coordinates the Madhya Pradesh Suchana Adhikaar Abhiyan a state-wide network of CSOs and activists involved in public education, advocacy and monitoring of the RTI Act. Dr. Ranjan also collaborates with CHRI's Access to Information Programme.)