Still no sign of food at anganwadis …..Sumitra Deb Roy
Mumbai: The supply of food to thousands of anganwadis serving children, pregnant and lactating women, has been stopped for a fortnight in the city. The reason, as the government states, is that this is a transitory phase before it starts supplying packed food with unmatched nutritional value.
One of the anganwadis catering to three tribal padas inside Aarey Colony was receiving just about five kgs of khichdi to be distributed among 13 children, four pregnant women and eight lactating women for a few weeks. However, since Friday last week even that supply had been stopped. I have told my regular beneficiaries to not come here till the supply is resumed, said an anganwadi sevika who did not wish to be named. The city has about 5,000 anganwadis.
Another anganwadi serving a slum pocket in Andheri was facing a similar problem. According to a sevika, the supply had been stopped for the past eight days. In place of 10-15 kgs of food, they are getting just about two-three kilos of khichdi, she said. There has been a major upheaval in nutritional norms because of which many women selfhelp groups supplying food to these anganwadis have been disqualified, explained ICDS commissioner Rajesh Kumar.