Assam WCD Supply Scam: Complainant Seeks Procurement Details Under RTI

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Serious allegations of irregularities have surfaced in the supply of materials under various schemes of the Directorate of Women and Child Development, Assam. According to the complainant, Nripen Malakar, secretary of Pratibandhi Suraksha Sanstha, Assam, the department is involved in irregularities worth crores of rupees, from providing nutritious food for children and pregnant women to procuring ICDS materials in the form of learning & playing kits, etc.

He also alleged that some contractor firms were approved in the tender process without having the mandatory BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) licence at the time of the tender for the supply of Micro Nutrient Dense Food (RTE). Questions have also been raised over the pricing of the products that are supplied under the ICDS schemes.

In the case of preschool learning kits, materials whose market price is around Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 (approx) have been billed at Rs 38,992.00 by the supply firms.

To verify the allegations, Nripen Malakar filed an RTI on July 19, 2024, before the Directorate of Women and Child Development, seeking the entire details of the procurement process.

Even after repeated applications and an order from the Information Commission to provide information, the Directorate of Women & Child Development, Assam, allegedly did not provide the complete details.

Following this, Malakar filed two writ petitions in the Gauhati High Court - WP(C) 105/2025 and 5163/2026. During the hearing of WP(C) 5163/2026, the High Court issued a strict direction to the Information Commission to direct the Directorate of Women & Child Development to provide the correct information sought by the applicant at the earliest.

He said if the complete procurement and supply details are made public, a huge financial scam will come to light, and that is why the department is avoiding disclosure.

He has sought the intervention of Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and has threatened to take the matter to UNICEF if required.

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