Chitra Wagh, the state president of the NCP's women's wing, told dna, "The government needs to allocate at least Rs100 per meal rather than Rs22, as the scheme mandates, in order to serve the food items as promised.
After a series of dna reports on the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Ahaar Yojna for pregnant tribal women being poorly implemented due to the refusal of anganwadis to serve meals, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has come forward to demand that the government hike the per-meal allocation in the scheme from Rs22 to Rs100 if it really wishes to implement the scheme successfully.
Chitra Wagh, the state president of the NCP's women's wing, told dna, "The government needs to allocate at least Rs100 per meal rather than Rs22, as the scheme mandates, in order to serve the food items as promised. Due to the poor allocation of funds and a lack of utensils and provisions for cooking, the scheme continues to be on paper even three months after it was rolled out."
She also questioned the inclusion of soymilk in the meal for tribals. "It is hardly available even in the cities, forget tribal villages. Besides, how many tribals consume soymilk," Wagh asked, expressing a major concern raised by the angwawadi workers.
Wagh recently travelled to three tribal-concentrated districts — Thane, Palghar and Nandurbar — to evaluate the Amrut Ahaar scheme personally. "I am aghast to see such a wonderful scheme falling flat when it comes to implementation. In most places in all three districts, the anganwadis are not serving the meals citing meager funds allocation and stipends. Their unions have been agitating and pressing for a hike from the government since January. But the government seems to be sleeping," she said.
Wagh also claimed that the government offers Rs1.4 per meal to angwanwadi workers for cooking. However, self-help groups receive four times this stipend for the same job.
Wagh also questioned the government's commitment towards tackling malnutrition among pregnant women and children. "Amidst a lack of coordination between the women and child development department and tribal development department, it's tribal women and their babies who suffer the most. Who is accountable for that?" Wagh asked.
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