Minister for Women Development and Child Welfare Satyavathi Rathod alleged that Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani has spoken half truths and misled Parliament on Friday on the functioning of Anganwadi centres and implementation of Integrated Child Development Schemes in Telangana.
Reacting to Ms. Irani’s statement in the Lok Sabha in response to a question raised by Nalgonda MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ms. Rathod said that while Mr. Reddy didn’t even have basic information on the functioning of Anganwadi centres even in his constituency, the Union Minister did not even bother to have proper information sent by the State Government in this matter.
On Ms. Irani’s statement that wheat given by the Centre was not being supplied to Anganwadi centres by the State Government, Ms. Rathod said that it was never the practice to supply wheat directly, right from the combined Andhra Pradesh time, as it was being used to prepare a nutritious supplement called ‘Balamrutham’ given to pregnant women and children of six months to six years’ age, who generally come to the centres.
‘Nutrition level best in TS’
In association with ICRISAT, NIN, UNICEF and NITI Aayog, the Women and Child Welfare Department of Telangana had developed another fortified supplement and supplying it to all eligible pregnant women and children through 37,200 Anganwadi centres in the State. As a result, the nutrition level among pregnant women and children was best in Telangana even during the COVID pandemic, when it was affected in other States, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
As ‘Balamrutham’ had helped TS women and children overcome the problem of anaemia, the Union Ministry had asked the government to supply it to other States too, Ms. Rathod reminded the Union Minister. Further, the State Government was also supplying fortified rice to Anganwadi centres from January itself.
KCR nutrition kits
Stating that the Centre had selected only two (aspirational) districts in Telangana for supply of fortified rice to pregnant women and children, Ms. Rathod said that the TS Government had included seven more districts and supplying fortified rice under the ‘Giri Poshana’ scheme. Later, this month the nine districts would also be given KCR nutrition kits with the launch of the scheme to further improve the nutritional levels among pregnant women and children. The government had allocated ₹50 crore in the budget for it, she noted.
Legislators Palla Rajeshwar Reddy and Surabhi Vani Devi condemned the Union Minister’s statement and alleged that it was being done only to malign Telangana, the only State to call Anganwadi workers as teachers and pay them ₹13,650 salary per month against ₹4,000 being given by the Centre. They also criticised the Centre for cutting the Central share in ICDS from 90% in the past to 10% now.
