System for Child Survival

Change the system for Child survival

Sachin Kumar Jain

If survival along with development is a right, then it means, millions of children facing violation of right to survival in Indian society. It is essential to understand that the constitutional right to nutrition needs to be defined in accordance with the fundamental right to life of the constitution. It is worth mention that 16% of population under the age of six is protected by just on government scheme called Integrated Child Development Scheme and only 0.88% of total budget is spent for them annually.

In the context of right to nutritious food and Integrated Child Development Scheme, the experience of Madhya Pradesh reveals that Anganwadi workers are functioning under tremendous pressure from the State Government. Since the mal-nutrition is now being treated as the cause of resultant hunger deaths, therefore, the high-up bureaucrats and those at middle level are pressurizing the Anganwadi workers not to enter the names and addresses of mal-nourished children in their respective registers. This is being done under a well considered strategy to wriggle out from its responsibility of mal-nutrition deaths, that Anganwadi workers should not be allowed to register the names of those children who are the victims of extreme mal-nutrition of 3rd and 4th grade, because the Government believes that mal-nutrition of 1st and 2nd grade level is not a serious problem. That is why, due to this misconception, even the condition of children in the so-called 1st and 2nd grade level of malnutrition, instead of improving, is further worsening and bringing them within the fold of 3rd and 4th level of malnutrition.

There is a need to change in population criteria for establishing new anganwadi. As Supreme Court of India has clearly ordered Indian Government that each and every settlement should have an anganwadi without and discrimination by December 2008. The fulfilment of this order is not and non-political activity, it demands a political mass movement.

Caste based discrimination is a component creating challenges for children’s right to survival. The location of Anganwadi in villages is also an important criterion for ensuring its accessibility for all the children without discrimination. For example, in Jatashanker Badagaon of district Chhatarpur, although there is one Anganwadi, but it is located in the area dominated by upper caste people and as such, it is difficult for the children belonging to Dalit (scheduled caste) category to enter into the said Anganwadi. Thus, there is also a need to bring about a change in such social thinking for ensuring equality amongst all sections of society. We assume that if a Gram Sabha passes a resolution for opening a new Anganwadi in the village, that resolution will respectfully be accepted and Anganwadi be opened in the area.

Although all efforts are being directed to remove mal-nutrition by providing nutritious food, but in case even such food is contaminated one, then what happens to the fate of this whole scheme? In 175 Anganwadis of Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, coarse gain food – Dalia, contaminated by fungus, was distributed. Similarly, since almost 75% of Anganwadis are situated in kucha houses, therefore, it is extremely difficult to maintain the quality of food being stored in such places. Thus, for the sake serving quality food, it is also necessary that Anganwadis be opened in pucca houses and proper arrangements are made for storing the food items there. In this connection, even the Comptroller Auditor General of Madhya Pradesh, in its report, raised fingers over the quality of nutritious food in Anganwadis. The report points out that the required ratio of Dal, Gur and Salt was not applied while preparing the nutritious food, meaning thereby that children are not consuming – rather not being provided with standard amount of calories, protein and carbohydrate in the food being served to them. This report clearly mentions that According to the orders of Government, each 80-gram nutritional food (73.6 gram dalia and 6.4 gram jaggery and salt) was required to contain 300 calories and 10-gram protein. Above nutritive value would be available in the mixture of dalia if the proportion of Wheat dalia and soyabean/green moong dal was 9:1, as per Nutritive value of Indian Foods - ICMR 1980. However, dalia mixture purchased in the test checked district contained wheat dalia and soyabean/moong dal in the ration of 22:1. Thus, how far the ICDS is successful at implementation stage can be easily gauzed from this scenario.
Generally, the workers for Anganwadis are appointed either out of local area or those belonging to deprived sections of society, because of their psychological attachment with the area and being face-to-face with the reality of the situation. However, they need proper training to perform, but the Government appears to be ignorant and constantly lesser attention is being provided on capacity building training programmes for such Anganwadi worker. Not only this, even their remuneration is not being paid regularly and as per schedule. Most of the time, Anganwadi workers are affected by the working of officials of the concerned Department and decisions taken in the name of policy. The prevailing corruption has a direct impact over the quality of so called ‘nutritious’ food. In addition, the Anganwadi workers also had to face angry protests from the members of respective communities. In return, he is being paid only a paltry sum of Rs.1, 000/- per month as remuneration. Thus, it is of prime importance that the remuneration of Anganwadi workers is fixed at a respectable level and the same is paid regularly and on schedule, to enable them to perform their duties properly.
Looking at the comprehensive and sensitive nature of their duties, the children are divided into two categories i.e. (i) in the age group of 6 months to 3 years; and (ii) in the age group of 3 years to 6 year. To serve the children, two Anganwadi workers be appointed – one for each group categories of children. Generally, about 80 to 100 children are registered in one Anganwadi and, as such, it is just not possible for one Anganwadi worker to properly look after the whole lot of children single handedly. Therefore, unless and until the number of Anganwadi workers are increased, this programme shall lose its very utility and effectiveness.