Non-payment of dues: Social Welfare blames it on Centre

SHILLONG: A day after the Social Welfare department was accused of embezzling funds to the tune of over Rs 35 crore meant for payments to self help groups and women’s organisations, the department on Tuesday said that inadequate and delayed sanction from the Centre did not allow it to clear all pending dues.
The department added that it will not hold back payments related to the actual expenditure on Supplementary Nutrition Programme.
On Monday, the aggrieved parties, who were employed in the services of supplying the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) foodstuffs, condiments etc., claimed that they have not received their rightful dues.
Reacting to the allegations the Social Welfare department said that the actual expenditure on Supplementary Nutrition Programme for 2015-16 is Rs.103.49 crore whereas the Government of India had released only Rs 57.79 crore.  The State Government, meanwhile, had released Rs 9.20 crore as state share.
“The Department has been seriously taking up the matter of pending bills with the Centre on a regular basis, for both ICDS and RGSEAG (SABLA) and does not hold back payments nor divert the funds for other expenditures as alleged by the SHGs,” a department statement said.
The Social Welfare Department said that the bills amounting to Rs.34.70 crore had been duly paid to SHGs during 2015-16 for supply of food items under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme. The department claimed that it also paid Rs 28.45 crore to the manufacturer in the same year.   Hence, the allegation that it favored payment to the manufacturer alone is false, it said.
“However, due to delay in release of funds by Centre and inadequate sanction, which is not as per the actual requirement, the Department was not in a position to clear all pending dues the  SHGs,” the statement clarified.