LUCKNOW, May 10 -- Taking a tough stand on the delay in releasing aid to children's homes in Uttar Pradesh and terming it a matter of serious concern, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has ordered two top officials of women and child development department, UP, to appear before it again through video conferencing on the next hearing of the case on May 27. Besides, an under secretary level officer of the Union ministry of women and child development was also directed to appear through video-conferencing on the next date of hearing. A division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Jaspreet Singh issued the order on May 8, 2026, on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by one Anoop Gupta in 2008. The petition raised the issue of the poor condition of children's homes in the state and requested timely financial assistance under the schemes meant for them. During the hearing on Friday, the state government informed the court that the proposed Rs.1 crore grant to Drishti Social Institute could be released only after a meeting of the Project Approval Board. The meeting, originally scheduled for April 27, will now be held on May 12. The government also informed the court that changes have been made to the financial payment system under the Sparsh scheme. Previously, payments were made through the central cyber treasury, which caused practical problems. Now, a district-level payment system has been implemented, although approval for the current financial year is still subject to the board meeting, it said. The court said since the new financial year begins in April, necessary meetings and approvals should be completed in advance. The court emphasised that delays in implementing programs directly impact children living in orphanages. The bench also noted that the institution concerned has to borrow money to continue caring for children and is now finding it difficult to get loans. htc...