NEW DELHI: Forced by an insistent Renuka =
Chowdhury, the Cabinet on Thursday decided to set up a group =
of=20
ministers to consider the controversial case of feeding =
ready-to-eat=20
meals under the revamped Integrated Child Development Scheme =
(ICDS)=20
programme.
With several Cabinet members opposed to =
the move=20
and preferring hot cooked meals as an option and the WCD =
minister=20
sticking to her guns, the Prime Minister decided to =
side-step the=20
contentious issue for the moment and approved the other =
suggestion=20
for doubling the allocation for supplementary nutrition from =
an=20
average cost of Rs 2.06 to Rs 4.21. The expanded scheme is =
likely to=20
cost the exchequer Rs 44,000 crore and will impact 16 crore=20
children.
Sources said the WCD minister met with a =
lot of=20
opposition from her Cabinet colleagues but held her own, =
claiming=20
that hot cooked meals were being served under unhygienic =
conditions=20
using inadequate facilities.
Planning Commission deputy =
chairman=20
Montek Singh Ahluwalia reiterated his earlier stated =
criticism that=20
pre-packaged food would lead to 'centralization'. The Plan =
panel had=20
earlier called it 'retrograde' and a threat to children's =
health.=20
But the ground for an easy way out had been created =
before=20
the Cabinet met. The finance ministry, which had earlier =
condemned=20
the proposal as 'dubious', did a somersault to suggest that=20
prepackaged food could be served if states were willing. The =
PMO too=20
had earlier asked the WCD ministry to strike out all =
references to=20
pre-packaged food from its proposal.
Though the GoM =
would=20
now consult states, sources pointed out that even if it left =
the=20
decision to individual states, the WCD ministry would be =
able to=20
push its pet project through the backdoor by using a =
loophole in the=20
rules for the centrally sponsored programme =E2=80=94 =
enforcing strict=20
"nutrition content" norms could push states to buy only =
certain=20
types of food and food products.
"The WCD ministry =
had in=20
2006 formulated detailed norms demanding that each meal must =
contain=20
so much microgram of one nutrient and so much of another for =
every=20
100 gram of food served. Such micro-managed nutrition norms =
would=20
force the states to buy pre-packaged food where companies =
pre-claim=20
the content.
A gram sabha, a district magistrate or =
a state=20
government obviously would not be able to certify the =
nutritional=20
content even in a wholesome well-designed hot meal scheme," =
an=20
official explained.
Fifteen states provide hot =
cooked meals=20
while 11 supply a mix of hot cooked and ready-to-eat meals =
and three=20
states exclusively provide packaged foods in contravention =
of=20
Supreme Court orders. While the SC commissioners have warned =
the=20
states and WCD ministry of acting in contempt of apex court =
orders,=20
the status quo would now be maintained till the GoM comes up =
with a=20
way out.
But a long-standing demand for increasing =
the=20
honorarium for anganwadi workers and their helpers has been =
met=20
under the revamped ICDS. While anganwadi workers will =
receive a Rs=20
500 hike to Rs 1,500 per month, helpers and workers at mini=20
anganwadi centres will receive an increase of Rs 250 to a =
monthly=20
salary of Rs 750 with effect from April 1, 2008. Over 18 =
lakh=20
anganwadi workers are likely to benefit from this increase.=20
