An obituary sample
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 08, 2013 -

Keeping in mind the growing challenge of providing pre-school education on one hand and breaking that vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity and mortality on the other; the Centrally-sponsored scheme of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) under the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development may have been well-conceived as one of the world's largest and most unique programmes for early childhood development in India.

However, in Manipur, implementation of ICDS scheme since its first introduction on October, 2, 1975 as a pilot project in Ukhrul TD block, has always hogged the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

Over the years, emphasis has been given to increasing the coverage and today we have 42 ICDS projects being implemented through as many as 9128 Anganwadi centres spread across the nine districts of the State.

But sadly, there has been no corresponding improvement in the quality of the service provided, thus resulting in little impact on the ground even though corruption level among the officials concerned has touch an all time high, so much so that there are complaint galore over deprivation of not just the rice and other supplementary food items to be provided but also paltry amount of honorarium to be given to the Anganwadi workers and helpers.

This is despite the fact that there has been no laxity of funds from the side of the Ministry of Women and Child Development for smooth and successful implementation of the scheme.

Close behind the expose carried by Hueiyen Lanpao on its March 23, 2013 edition with regard to 5448 metric tonne of rice worth around Rs 3.07 crores and meant for distribution among various Anganwadi centres in the State found siphoned off, the 'latest drama' over implementation of ICDS scheme in Manipur has come in the form of providing just one bag of rice of 50 kg each to all the Anaganwadi centres for a period of six months corresponding to the fourth quarters of the scheme.

Of course, not a single grain of rice had been provided to any of the Anganwadi centre for the third quarters of the scheme as the rice sanctioned by the Ministry of Women and Child Development under its Wheat Based Nutrition Programme (WBNP) had been siphoned off.

In spite of that the sanctioned order for withdrawal of rice for the fourth quarters of the scheme had been issued on January 18 last and out of this sanctioned rice just one bag of rice weighing 50 kg each has been provided to the Anganwadi Centres.

This is real funny! On the other hand, if the allegation of CDPOs concerned being forced by one Deputy Director to append their signatures to 'confirm' that the required quantity of rice for distribution among the Anganwadi centres have been received and the continued supply of company-made food items in defiance of an earlier Supreme Court order is true, then it calls for immediate attention of the Ministry to stem the rot before a unique programme for early childhood development is given a quiet burial and writing of its obituary starts in Manipur.