A day after Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested two persons and sealed an NGO in connection with the illegal adoption of Covid orphans, the UT government constituted to join teams of different departments to verify records of all social organizations.
Taking serious note of the incident, Chief Secretary of J&K Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta has directed that joint teams of the social welfare education department, Magistrates from the DC office, and police be set up to verify the records of Nari Ashrams, Bal Ashrams, concerned NGOs and trust and orphanages and asked the social welfare department to coordinate the synergized departmental response in the matter.
He also considered the administrative measures being taken by the Social Welfare Department and the law enforcement agencies to prevent reoccurrence of such incidents in the future.
The Chief Secretary convened a high level to take effective steps to stop the reoccurrence of such incidents in the future. Administrative Secretary, Home, Special Director General, CID, Administrative Secretaries of Social Welfare and Law Departments, two Divisional commissioners and DIG, Central Kashmir Range, and other senior officers attended the meeting.
Social Welfare Department directed to conduct an audit of NGOs
The chief secretary directed the social welfare department to conduct audit of the human resource and the accounts of these centers for the last 5 years. He asked the social welfare department to obtain the report regarding the welfare of Covid orphans from the field and share it with his office as early as possible.
The Chief Secretary asked the Home department to ensure that every such center was inspected by the nearest police station in the UT.
The Chief Secretary asked the social welfare department to take steps in consultation with the health department to verify all the children's hospitals/gynecological sections/ neonatal sections of the hospitals in the UT within the next fifteen days.
Dr. Mehta directed the law department to seek details of the trusts operating in the space for the last 10 years from the judiciary for purpose of their verification.
The Chief Secretary emphasized tracking cases of child/women trafficking in the cyber domain and asked the Home department to ensure proper cyber-surveillance through anti-trafficking units of the police department in both the divisions.
Around 6000 NGOs registered in J&K
Giving details of the NGOs dealing with child and women welfare in the UT, Director Industries and Commerce (I&C), Jammu informed that there are around 6000 such NGOs registered in J&K.
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It was further informed that post reorganization of the J&K State into UTs of J&K and Ladakh, the department has begun the process of re-registering these societies under the central act. So far less than 1,000 societies have been re-registered and their details are also available on the Darpan portal.
Dr. Mehta also advised the I&C department to share the list of all NGOs operating in the space with SWD and the police department.
He also directed that the SWD should get the verification of 6,000 NGOs done in concern with district administration and PRIs within a month and share the findings with the government.
The Chief Secretary asked the I&C department to put all those NGOs, which have not re-registered on notice stating that if they do not re-register within 15 days, they will no longer be allowed to operate.
He also directed the I&C department to share the details of those NGOs, which don't re-register, with the district and divisional administration so that appropriate law enforcement action is initiated against them.
