Lok Sabha Question: Monitoring of AIDS Control Funds by the Govt:

[Guest guest]

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA, STARRED QUESTION NO 579 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.04.2003

MONITORING AIDS CONTROL FUNDS. By (579) PROF UMMAREDDY VENKATESWARLU

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:-

(a) the details of the procedure adopted for verifying the

antecedents of NGOs for providing funds by the National AIDS Control

Organisation (NACO);

( whether the monitoring and evaluation system adopted has been

effective in checking malpractices, if any, by NGOs; and

© if not, the further steps taken to tone up monitoring and

evaluation of works done by NGOs in AIDS control?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SMT.

SUSHMA SWARAJ)

(a)to©: A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 579

FOR 30.4.2003

(a) Under the National AIDS Control Programme-II, funding of NGO

activities is taken up by the respective State AIDS Control Societies

(SACS) to facilitate closer monitoring and providing technical

support at local level. As part of its guidelines for NGO activities,

National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) stipulates certain

parameters for selection of NGOs through a stringent and transparent

process by issuing an advertisement in the newspapers for inviting

proposals from NGOs. The NGOs which apply for grant are assessed with

regard to their legal status, infrastructure, organizational

structure and past track record of their work in other development

fields.

The NGO is required to have audit reports and annual reports relating

to its past activities for 3 years. The NGO should not be among the

NGOs blacklisted by the Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB) and

Council for Advancement of People`s Action and Rural Technology

(CAPART) or any other Government agency. The proposals received from

the NGOs are placed before a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of

the SACS. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) approves the NGO

proposals, and only those approved are then followed up with field

inspection by a Joint Appraisal Team (JAT) to ascertain the

credibility of the NGO within the local community. The

recommendations of Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Joint

Appraisal Team (JAT) are placed before the Executive Committee of the

SACS chaired by Secretary (Health) in the State Government for final

decision on sanction of grant.

( & © A detailed monitoring and evaluation system has been built

into the programme. A Computerised Management Information System and

a Programme Finance Management System have been developed by the

NACO. These systems and procedures ensure regular feedback from the

NGOs through their respective State AIDS Control Societies in respect

of diverse parameters for evaluation. Additionally, regular visits

are made by the officers and the NGO Advisor of SACS. NGOs are also

required to submit detailed activity reports and audited statement of

expenditure. The accounts of the NGOs funded are further subject to

audit by the Comptroller Auditor General of India from time to time.

External evaluation is carried out in respect of those NGOs who have

been implementing the intervention programme for more than three

years.

With these intensive monitoring and evaluation systems, the SACS have

been able to check malpractices by NGOs. Resultantly, during the year

2000-2001, funding was discontinued for 19 NGOs and during 2001-2002,

funding was discontinued for 22 NGOs.