Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has reportedly informed the State government that he does not want to associate any further with the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare as its patron.
By some accounts, Mr. Khan has communicated his stance to the Chief Secretary after a deluge of complaints against the Child Welfare Council (CWC) administration, including alleged fund embezzlement, swamped the Raj Bhavan. The move also comes close on the heels of a CBI inquiry into the financial affairs of the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW), the CWC’s umbrella organisation.
Mr. Khan’s proposal to step down as patron has cast the CWC in a spot at least two years after an adoption scandal involving Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leaders in the district rocked the institution. It would require the CWC to amend its by-law to remove the Governor from the post.
In a statement here, CWC general secretary G.L. Arun Gopi said efforts are under way to undermine the institution’s legitimacy and public standing. The CWC is no longer an ICCW affiliate. A meeting headed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had ended the affiliation in August. The CWC has also returned the funds received from the ICCW.
The CWC has deferred to Mr. Khan’s demand and removed his name from the institution’s website.
