Kids go hungry at some Anganwadi centres
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 08 2009: After sub-standard cooking utensils for Anganwadi centres (reported in the May 25 issue), it has now come to light that children at some Anganwadi centres who are supposed to be given cooked food under the Integrated Child Development Scheme for 26 days in a month have not been receiving their full quota of cooked food.

The ICDS is fully sponsored by the Centre and was launched with the stated objective of providing hygienic and wholesome food to young children in Anganwadi centres.

The medicines which were supplied a year back

Matter came to light during the course of an investigation conducted by The Sangai Express in some centres spread across the hill and valley districts.

A total of 7639 Anganwadi centres come under the ICDS including the newly opened 3138 centres.

During a random check at some of these centres and while interacting with workers and helpers, it came to light that the children have not been receiving their cooked food for 26 days in a month.

As per a ruling of the Supreme Court, ready to eat food was to be provided to the children at the Anganwadi centres, but later this was changed to cooked food and since then the children were provided with cooked food with co-operation from Self Help Groups.

Under the said scheme each child registered in an Anganwadi centre is to receive cooked food for 26 days in a month and 300 days in a year.

However during the course of the investigation it came to light that in some centres, the children did not receive their full quota of cooked food.

In some cases the children were fed for a month while in the next month they had to forgo their daily intake of cooked food.

The reasons attributed for this included non release of fund by the Social Welfare Department under which the scheme is implemented.

At the Anganwadi centre at Nongman village in Phungyar sub-division of Ukhrul district, no fund has been released to provide cooked food after January this year.

In January a sum of Rs 3,050 was released for the said purpose.

For this centre which has 37 students, the Department concerned has issued 15 plates, one plastic bucket, one aluminium bucket, one mat and one cooking utensil for three Anganwadi centres at the village.

Pictorial charts supposed to be supplied to the centres to help the children learn better have not been delivered and in some of the centres the villagers have been constrained to buy the same by themselves.

In Imphal West, one such centre received a sum of Rs 1775 each for January, February and March for the scheme, but after this the fund meant to provide cooked food has stopped.

Other than supplying cooked food, the other objectives of ICDS include providing supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check up, reference service, treatment of minor ailment, nutrition and health education etc.

Some of the common medicines provided by the Centre Government include paracetamol tablets, deworming medicines, bandages and cotton.

During the course of investigation it was found that the medicines at some centres were issued more than a year back.

Though it is already June, no fresh batch of medicines have been provided at some of these centres for this year.

Immunisation programme on the other hand was found held regularly.