Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has decided to dig deep into Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) milk fraud case. Milk, supposed to be given to impoverished children, was allegedly misappropriated in Jainoor mandal of Adilabad district. The case was in cold storage after the fraud of 65 lakh was detected in 2022. The officer responsible was suspended and reinstated later.
ACB director-general CV Anand, during a review meeting recently, asked officials to nail the culprits involved. Similar instances where milk and milk powder were diverted to ice cream and chocolate factories were identified in Mancherial and other areas.
In 2022, authorities had detected that additional child development project officer Anishetty Sridevi of Jainoor, working on ICDS project, was allegedly involved in a fraud where milk and milk powder, which was supposed to be distributed to Anganwadi centres, never reached them.
A departmental inquiry found that 65 lakh was misappropriated and the officer was reinstated. The case booked by ACB was kept in cold storage.
The new ACB DG asked the officials to collect evidence and grill the accused involved.
Similarly, Mancherial police had in 2021 arrested five Anganwadi teachers in Chennur of Mancherial district on the allegations of reselling ICDS products, which were meant for school students.
The accused were found selling milk and eggs allotted to an Anganwadi centre in Chennur to bakeries, restaurants, and sweet shops in Mancherial. However, the case was reportedly not investigated properly. Similar instances were reported from across Telangana, and ACB would now dig deeper into these cases and launch a comprehensive investigation to find out the irregularities involved in siphoning off the milk and other products meant for poor children.
When contacted, an ICDS official said, “We have been taking action against the erring officers and teachers when they are reported.”
