The state Department of Women and Child Development (WCD) has been allocated a fund of around Rs 5 crore by the state and the central government for various schemes to rehabilitate women.

But with just three more months left in the current fiscal, the department is yet to take up the welfare plans and utilise the funds. The welfare schemes include legal support, social rehabilitation and employment options for the women in distress.

The first major fund, which was sanctioned in 2007-08 was the Uttar Pradesh Mahila Nidhi. The fund was created with an initial amount of Rs 1 crore and it aimed at providing rehablitation to women in distress and also supporting education and vocational activities of women of Scheduled Caste or other backward communities.

The second fund, supported by the union government, is for creating working women’s hostels across the state. The fund, which is around Rs 2 crore, has been allocated by the Centre with a state pooling around Rs 55 lakh.

The department has failed to utilise the money and is alleging that “NGOs in the state have not shown interest in the initiative”.

The third fund of Rs 2.84 crores was given for projects and programmes under the Domestic Violence Act. These included creating residential vocational training centres for women in distress.

Besides these funds, a miscellaneous fund was set aside for activities like residential vocational schools for girls from backward communities and for rehablitation of victims of trafficking and prostitution. But nothing has been done so far.

A senior department official at the WCD directorate said: “We are very busy in ensuring proper implementation of the earlier schemes. And therefore, the new schemes have taken a backseat.” said a senior official .

The principal secretary of the department Amal Kumar Verma agreed that they have not been able to use a major part of the fund so far.