Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 1
In the midst of questions being raised on fund use, confidential information has pointed to marked differences and high-level lobbying within the Health department and Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS) for instating of a new Project Director. The conflict of interest, between AIDS-based implementing agencies and the Health department/NSACS itself has been compounded by the National AIDS Control Organization’s recent insistence for a bureaucrat, an IAS, to man the PD’s chair.
However, latest details have been uncovered that an IAS/state civil services functionary as PD was not only the NACO’s but in fact the World Bank’s which is allocating in proposed funding about 1 billion dollars for the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) Phase III slatted to commence this April. The NACO, it is learnt, is only following the World Bank’s stipulation for a managerial personnel from outside the health services.
As a principle stipulation for success of the phase III programme, the World Bank desires to have as Project Director/Programme Executive from outside the health services. It envisaged an Indian Administrative Civil Services officer to serve as the Program/ Project Director or the CEO of HIV/AIDS in the State. This will enhance the transactional-ability with the highest seats of power and not wedged within the confines of Health and therefore address the HIV epidemic realistically through health and development, the principle implied.
Each state has developed a plan called the NACP III plan and this will be implemented over 5 years starting from 2007 (April). This plan is supposed to be valued at 1 Billion US dollars out of which 50% will be covered by the World Bank, 20% by the Government of India through the Planned Budget of the Planning Commission (recent budget announced by the Finance Minister has increased the GOI budget by 100% for the next plan and budget period) and rest of the resource coming from bi-lateral (US, UK etc) and multi-lateral (UN system) budgets. A news portal also mentioned that out of the World Bank’s 1 billion dollars for the Phase III, 2.6 million will be allocated to India for HIV/AIDS care, treatment and support while the rest would be used for awareness .
With a more-than-tripled funding than in the phase II programme, stakes are evidently high in the HIV/AIDS sector in Nagaland. Various knowledgeable sources in the NSACS as well as implementing agencies under it have more than sufficed to confirm that in fact a controversy has been raging on in the confines ever since NSACS chief Dr Kumuni was ‘promoted’ (transferred) last month. Relative to this, it was also informed that NSACS and NGOs will be meeting on April 5 next, at NMA HIV/AIDS Hospice, Kohima informed sources within the agency said. The meeting will be attended by officials from the Health department including the Health & Family Secretary, and the primary agenda is to discuss the Project Director issue, the source added.
This daily has been contacting a host of organizations, including the NSACS over the matter for some time but due to the “sensitivity” of the matter, they are reluctant to be identified with their opinions and details. But the crux of the controversy is this, according to them several important functionaries have highlighted the fact that “higher-ups” in the health department and a few of NSACS top officials are lobbying to instate a certain official who is not a bureaucrat. The official is already holding a top chair in the set-up and is being lobbied for that he be made PD.
However, with the NACO calling for a bureaucrat, an IAS, to man the management and projects, ‘appointment’ of the said official was kept in abeyance. At the departmental level, regarding the wrangling over who should be the Project Director, opinions from various NGOs clearly point to conflict of interests. According to sources from the NSACS, Dr Neiphie Kire, presently Additional Project Director, was also proposed by “certain higher-ups” in the health department with his ‘candidature’ being ‘supported’ by three major HIV/AIDS entities in Nagaland. Another highly reliable source from the NSACS itself, on condition of anonymity, informed that a state health official had assured Dr Kire of the post “in front of everybody” at a meeting held in Kohima last month. However, on the declared preference for a bureaucrat for the PD post, the appointment of Dr Kire could not be made “as assured.” Dr Neiphei Kire took over as Additional Project Director on February 23 last.
When contacted a very high-ranking and senior state official from the government said that the government is “short of IAS officers” and “it is little difficult.” The state official, on condition of anonymity, however, assured to look into NACO’s “suggestions” for an IAS officer. “The government will take a decision in due course of time but we have not yet browsed the subject (of appointing a civil services official to man the PD chair)” the official said. He added that Deputy Commissioners will be ‘scrutinized’ if in any case an IAS is to be the NSACS chief, he added. Talking of IAS officers and DCs, the name of former Dimapur DC and present NEZCC Director Hekali Zhimomi has surfaced as a highly recommended proposal to the post of PD. According to unconfirmed sources, if at all an IAS PD is decided for, Zhimomi due to her strong social work background and efficient management, she would be proposed.
In light of the accusations which surfaced recently concerning misuse of funds in HIV/AIDS campaigns in Nagaland, the seriousness of the issue involved and the amount of resources allocated for NACP Phase III, it is highly recommended that independent monitoring mechanisms should be set up to evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the implementing agencies – the health department, the NSACS and the various NGOs.
Meanwhile, state functionaries from the health department as well as NSACS are yet to return repeated calls over the last one month made to them by this Daily over the issues highlighted above.
