समस्या के बारे मा बयान करत गांव वाले
Piparahi village, Naraini block, Banda district. Residents allege that the nutritional supplements to be provided by the Anganwadi centres to children, pregnant and lactating women are being instead, sold as fodder.
Swamideen, Rajjan and Rameshwar, residents of the village, tell us that for a total population of 5000, there are 3 angadwadi centres and a mini anganwadi centre in the village. ‘In our village, pregnant women, mothers, adolescent girls and children are not provided supplementary nutritional packets. We are told that the nutritional packets for pregnant and feeding women have not been received in 2 months. And you see these packets stored in people’s homes, to feed their animals. We think this matter should be investigated.’
Sumitra and Manju, two young girls who say their names are present in the Anganwadi worker Krishna’s register, hold that they have never received their supplementary food packets.
Anganwadi worker Krishna says that she has had this position since 1991. Her centre has 58 children between seven months and three years, 55 children between three and six years; 12 pregnant, 10 lactating women and 58 adolescent girls. ‘Everyone is given their supplementary food packets, only the ones for the pregnant and lactating women have not been released by the administration for the past 2 months. No food packets are being sold – people buy fodder for their animals from the market.’
The District Programme Officer Ishrat Jahan says that there are 1700 angandwadi centres in Banda, and all are being sent their supplementary food packets. ‘I myself go to monitor this distribution on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There is a scheme being run by the state government, and packets for pregnant women and lactating women have not been coming all across UP for the past two months. If there has been any illegal sale of food packets, it will be investigated in November 2014.’
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