Nirbhaya funds: Chandigarh welfare dept spends on travel, stationery
Details obtained through RTI requests reveal that in 2016-17, the Chandigarh social welfare department spent a meagre Rs 72,846, followed by Rs 1.34 lakh in 2017-18, utilising the remaining funds from previous years. The Nirbhaya fund, set up in response to the heinous Delhi gangrape case, was intended to protect the dignity and safety of women in India. However, questions loom over the utilisation of this crucial fund within the UT Social Welfare Department in Chandigarh. The response to an application filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI) by The Indian Express reveals that a significant portion of the Nirbhaya fund, amounting to Rs 1.32 crore, has been spent on seemingly trivial expenses like stationery, staff salaries, travel, and communication. This raises concerns about the prioritisation of the fund. From 2015-16 to 2022-23, the Child and Women Development Corporation Limited under the UT Social welfare department received an amount of Rs 1,32,66,572. T...