The All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) demands that the Minister for Women and Child Development immediately roll back its plans to destabilise the ICDS. According to press reports, Maneka Gandhi, WCD Minister stated in a conference of officials from 130 districts with highest rates of malnutrition that supplementary nutrition will be supplied in the form of nutrient packets with dry mixtures instead of hot, cooked meal or take home rations. And she added that these packets will be supplied through post offices! A proposal has also been prepared to substitute take home ration with direct cash transfer. This will start as a pilot project in 300 districts and then later be extended to the whole country.
AIDWA strongly objects to the allegations that 'Anganwadi stopped being an effective delivery system 20 years ago'. The minister is totally unaware of the important role that Anganwadi workers and helpers are playing in our country. Instead of passing such baseless statements, the central government must fulfill its responsibility of sending the allocations for the wages of the Anganwadi workers and helpers to the states. Maharashtra has not received Rs 450 crore of the central allocation as yet resulting in the Anganwadi workers and helpers not receiving their wages for the last four months.
The ICDS, which was started in 1975 has helped in combating malnutrition among children, pregnant and lactating mothers. It is the best play school which is available at the door steps of ordinary, unorganised working women from both rural and urban areas. Many experts like Soumya Swaminathan, Director General of Indian Council for Medical Research have said that cooked food is always healthy which cannot be replaced by packed food.
AIDWA is deeply concerned about the attempts of the government to go in for direct cash transfers and then ultimately wind up the 1349091 (2015 figure) ICDS centres in the country which will render over 26 lakh Anganwadi workers and helpers jobless. It has been reported that Rs 8, Rs 9.30 and Rs 12 per day may be paid for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers respectively. Direct Cash Transfer will not help in overcoming malnutrition. There is no guarantee that this money will be used for the purchase of food. According to a recent NFHS (National Family Health Survey) data 35.7 % of children below 5 years of age are underweight. The ministry’s proposal will worsen the situation.
The government's proposal to supply dry nutrients is nothing but privatisation of ICDS and handing over the manufacturing food packets to multinationals and contractors close to the ruling BJP.
AIDWA demands that the WCD Minister immediately withdraw its anti-ICDS proposal of supply of packed dry nutrients through post offices and the direct cash transfers. AIDWA calls upon all its units to organise protests against the above proposal jointly with the Anganwadi unions.
