Women and Child Development Minister, Maneka Gandhi’s had previously suggested that there must be a complete overhaul in the nutrition programme of the country and had suggested that states should provide nutrient packages to the beneficiaries instead of anganwadis. However, the NITI Aayog has approved of the plan which was formulated by the department, however it ‘bypassed’ the plan proposed by Gandhi upon the intervention of the PMO.
According to Maneka Gandhi, she wanted to have “energy-dense, factory-made” nutrient packets as take-home ration for pregnant women and lactating mothers as well as children between the age of six months and three years. On the other hand, the Ministry countered by stating that, food items such as dalia and khichdi prepared with the locally available materials by the self-help groups.
Hence, due to this conflict, two separate drafts were formulated proposing two different propositions. Finally, the PMO had to step in to reach a conclusive decision on the food plan. The decision was taken at this month’s meeting of the National Council led by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairperson Rajiv Kumar.
Justifying the decision and referring to Gandhi’s proposal, the meeting clearly began on the note that, “The Chairman brought out that the council had received a reference from the Hon’ble Minister of WCD with respect to the administration of Supplementary Nutrition i.e. its composition and delivery. The Chairman drew attention to the PMO decision in this regard and the need for continuance of the existing practice of Hot Cooked Meals for children (0-3 years) age group and Take Home Ration (THR) for children (6-3 years) and pregnant women and lactating mothers as decided by the state government in conformity with the National Foods Security Act 2013 and the Supplementary Nutrition Rules 2017. This view was endorsed unanimously by the Council.” Nutrition providing has been a primary issue for a nation like India for several years and the more localised the sources are based, the better it is for the beneficiaries to utilise the benefits provided by the government.