An investigation disclosed by NDTV showcased some pathetic thing wherein the nutrition supplements meant for malnourished children in Anganwadis are being taken away by middlemen and sold to poultry and dairy farms as feed for livestock. Ironically, it is also alleged that this horrible malpractice came into being only due to the involvement of government officials. This shameful incident was reported in Vikramgadh taluka in Thane district of Maharashtra through a hidden camera investigation.
There are 95,380 functioning anganwadis in Maharashtra alone. Every year Rs. 1280 crore is being invested on rendering nutrition to children via these anganwadis by the State with the help of central government. However, despite putting a thundering amount for this domain, 80,586 severely underweight children are still found in Maharashtra.
Thane district is one of the worst performing districts when malnutrition is considered. There are 6224 severely underweight children from the 4865 anganwadis in the Thane district. However, this malpractice is not just confined to this district as it can be found all across the state. The Government’s fights are futile when the middlemen, allegedly with the collusion of some government authorities, ensure that the children go hungry. Unless these evil malpractices are properly controlled the districts like Thane will always remain at the bottom and the country’s fight against poverty and malnutrition will become futile.
Mohd Ziyaullah Khan
Nagpur, M.S