GUWAHATI: Markazul Maarif on Saturday refuted the report of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) which has alleged that the NGO’s six childcare institutions in Assam and Manipur have misused funds from various source, including some from abroad, and has called for probe into status of 300-odd missing children.
Markazul Maarif secretary Khalilur Rahman Laskar told TOI, “The figure of 1080 inmates in our five orphanages that commission has stated in its report is the enrolment figure of 2015. At present we have 900 children with us and 180 of them have either passed or have dropped out. Many of our children who have passed out are pursuing higher studies and course like hotel management.”
“On December 15, 16 and 17 a team from the commission paid us sudden visit and has compiled this report. But we were not asked to give any explanation on the status of our children, who are no longer in our institutes,” Laskar added. Assam MP Maulana Badruddin Ajmal has established these homes.
The NCPCR report states that during the inspection of a home in Dhubri, the team had been informed about funds being received from Turkey-based International NGO, IHH, which had been interrogated by the Turkish law enforcement agencies for their alleged links with al-Qaida.
Laskar said, “We are registered as an NGO with the NCPCR as well as the state commission. We are also a registered NGO under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 1976 and every single penny that we receive from abroad are screened by government of India. Moreover, after we receive funds we have to submit our utilization statements to government of India, which are strictly audited.”
He added, “If some foreign funding agency has terror links, how are we supposed to know about them…it is the government which should caution us before we take funds from such agencies.”
The commission has strongly recommended production of all children currently lodged in all the six homes before the Child Welfare Committee and shifting of these children from these homes to a suitable institution for them, which are located in Dhubri, Goalpara and Nagaon in Assam and one in Thoubal district in Manipur.