Karnataka: 5 secretaries in 3 years for women & child welfare raises eyebrows

BENGALURU: Over the past three years, one of the key departments in the Karnataka government that is entrusted with minimising and eradicating malnutrition has seen as many as five IAS officers being transferred out.
According to senior government officials, the decision to transfer out principal secretaries of the women and child welfare department is hurting the stability of its functioning.
The most recent transfer has been that of MT Reju, who was posted to the department in April this year. However, on September 8, the officer was transferred out with N Manjula being brought to replace him. Officials in the department suggest there is a bigger concern in the replacement of the secretaries with fears of alleged 'external influence' in the transfers. An official said: "The transfers are primarily being influenced by vested interests from outside. There is no other reason for them."
In May 2022, the Karnataka high court had come down heavily on the government for providing substandard food at anganwadis. Based on this, on August 17, a detailed order was issued by the department, listing out the mandatory requirements for procuring nutritious food from Bureau of Indian Standards-ratified women groups for anganwadis with stringent quality checks, apart from calling for open tenders for specific food products.
However, on August 22 the said government order was withdrawn and the previous orders of May 2021 were reinstated, which prescribed procurements from previously identified agencies.
It may be recalled that the issue of nutritious food supply to anganwadis had even come under the Lokayukta scanner with cases being registered against then director of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in 2013.
Later, stability was infused with a single IAS officer - Uma Mahadevan - at the helm of the department for two and half years. "However, under the coalition government, the frequent transfers started with senior IAS officers being given concurrent or additional charge and being relieved of them within a few months," said another official.
Women and child welfare minister Basappa Halappa Achar dismissed the concerns within the government by claiming that it was an "administrative" decision. "These administrative decisions are taken on a routine basis. There is no concern of private companies influencing the government on these matters," said Achar.
He said the government is abiding by HC rulings on the issue. "We have stopped procuring substandard food for anganwadis and are giving contracts to only those who conform to standards laid down in ICDS," said the minister.