Adulterated food items, locked office annoys Minister
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 26 2012: Detecting sub-standard food items supplied to Anganwadi centres under Lamshang assembly constituency, Social Welfare Minister AK Mirabai Devi has pledged to order a thorough enquiry and fix responsibility against officials concerned.

The Minister, who conducted surprise visits at different Anganwadi centres under the assembly constituency which she represents, came across food grains and cereals spiked with stone-fragments, sands and other unconsumable materials at many of the anganwadi centres where children (students) are provided meals/diets as per guidelines of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) .

She was also greeted by a locked Lamshang CDPO office during the inspection visit spurring an incited lady Minister to take up a hammer and break open the lock.

Mismanagement in implementing the ICDS came to the fore at the very first stop of the Minister at the Lamshang Laingam Khun anganwadi centre wherein anganwadi worker Salam Roma and helper Laishram Sanahanbi produced a 50-kg bag of rice reportedly procured from the Lamshang CDPO office on May 7 .

Minister AK Mirabai breaking open the Lamshang CDPO office

As the content was poured out before the Minister, the food item meant for the children was found to be a mixture of gravel-sand and tiny plastics.

Upon further inquiry AK Mirabai spotted the anganwadi register listing names of 16 children, who were however not visible anywhere at the centre prompting the Minister to quiz both on the whereabouts of the registered children.

In response, Roma cited frequent dizziness for her inability to ensure regular classes while the helper Sanahanbi claimed that obligations to her own family had been affecting dedication to the centre's children.

They nevertheless conveyed dissatisfaction on both quality and quantity in the provision of food items provided to the Anganwadi centre for further distribution to girls under 11 to 14 years of age and 14-18 years group covered by the centre, under the SAbla scheme.

on February 29, 125 kgs of rice under the said scheme was received for the first time on February 29, recounted the two while informing the Minister that only a minuscule amount of rice, cereals (dal), cooking and salt could be provided to the beneficiaries due to incompatible allotment.

To the dismay of the Minister, it also came to light that the anganwadi centre is yet to be completed inspite of the fact that construction works had started in 2003 .

Ak Mirabai was also informed about the weighing scale not functioning from the day it was handed over to the anganwadi centre about three years with both Roma and Sanahanbi claiming that the machine is sub-standard.

The Minister also came across similar indiscretions upon visiting anganwadi centres at Lamshang Akham Makha Leikai and Akham Lamshang where the registers were found to contain healthy number of children but only a handful present at the opportune moment.

Provision of food items to these centres was also found to be incompatible and sub-standard.

Briefing newspersons on the sidelines of the inspection visit, the Minister affirmed that the objective is to ensure proper and effective implementation of various welfare programmes of ICDS in her constituency in order to promote health of both the mother and child.

Describing the existing condition of anganwadis in Lamshang area as unfortunate and disheartening, she asserted that inspection visits would be carried out at other constituencies in the coming days.

Peeved at the provision of sub-standard food items to anganwadi centres, the Minister said all-out effort would be made to ascertain whether ICDS officials or the suppliers are responsible for spiking the food items with un-consumable particles.

To take up the matter with officials concerned, the Minister headed for the Lamshang CDPO office but was instead greeted with the office locked and sealed and with no personnel in sight.

After hammering down the office door the Minister checked the interior but found that even the chairs and tables were lying in disarray.

Wielding the hammer once more, the Minister broke open the godown of the CDPO when it was found locked.

To her surprise, Mirabai spotted a rotten 50 kg bag of rice, cereals unfit for human consumption and unsealed packets of salt spilled on the floor.

Putting new locks, the Minister asked the office care-taker to inform CDPO official that they collect the keys from her office.