The WCD ministry has repeatedly spoken against implementing the provision with the contention that the cash provided will be inadequate for the beneficiaries -- children between the age group of six months and three years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi has again raised objections against the provision of implementing cash transfers in lieu of dietary supplements, known officially as Take Home Ration (THR), marking perhaps the third time the ministry has officially spoken against it. A decision to implement the provision in ten vulnerable districts was passed at the National Nutrition Council's inaugural meeting on April 18, chaired by NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar. Gandhi was not present at the meeting.
After the meeting of the Council, Gandhi expressed her apprehensions to the Prime Minister's Office and the Niti Aayog. In a letter that Gandhi sent out, she said that the ministry, which procures the ration in volumes of metric tonnes, has "economies of scale" on its side. She contended that the provision of Rs 25 per beneficiary, per month, will be inadequate for individual procurement. The move, she further argued, will prove to be detrimental in a crucial year, with elections ahead.
The WCD ministry has repeatedly spoken against implementing the provision with the contention that the cash provided will be inadequate for the beneficiaries -- children between the age group of six months and three years, pregnant women and lactating mothers. In previous instances, WCD ministry officials contended that to bring in cash transfers, the National Food Safety Act (NFSA) will have to be amended as to avoid any violation of the law.
However, in the NNC meeting, chairman Kumar conveyed a directive from the PMO that the "need to continue the existing practice of Hot Cooked Meals for Children, Take Home Ration (THR) for Children (06 months-03 years) and Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers as decided by the State Governments conforms with the National Food Security Act, 2013 and the Supplementary Nutrition Rules, 2017."
The move to bring in cash transfers, mooted by the Niti Aayog, was initially opposed by the WCD ministry, with Gandhi stepping in and the matter reached the PMO. The Council was, in fact, formed to ease out these objections.
Third Time’s Charm
This is the third time that the WCD Minister has spoken against the decision to stop giving dietary ration to children between the age of six months and three years, pregnant women and lactating mothers and give them Rs 25 instead.
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