BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government set up 116 nutrition resource centres (NRCs) to improve nutritional status of women and children of particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) in 2020 but failed to operationalise 55 of them, depriving malnourished children and pregnant women the access to nutrition.
As a result, the Odisha PVTG Nutrition Improvement Programme (OPNIP) missed its goal leading to increase in stunting and wasting among the targeted groups of children, the latest CAG report has revealed.
The audit watchdog found that the project monitoring unit (PMU) allocated Rs 18.46 crore during 2021-24 to the micro project agencies (MPAs) for implementation of OPNIP. Under the project, 116 Matru Sishu Poshan Kendras (MSPK)-cum-crèches or NRCs were established across 17 MPAs. The goal was to provide safe hygienic space for children of working parents of PVTGs and offer three nutritious meals to the children and hot cooked meals for pregnant and lactating mothers.
However, only 61 NRCs were made operational while the rest 55 remained non-functional till March 2024, after three years of construction of new buildings, material procurement and engagement of manpower. This resulted in at least 8,517 children in six-month to three-year age bracket and 5,972 pregnant and lactating mothers failing to access nutritional benefits.
An analysis by Public Health Resource Society also brought out shocking revelations of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) status even among 1,841 children enrolled in the 61 NRCs. It found that only 42 per cent of the 110 severely wasted children managed to move to normal category. Of the 1,204 children who spent at least four months in the crèches, the share of severely stunted children increased from 23.70 per cent in April 2021 to 24.30 per cent in February 2024.
Similarly, 628 normal children were enrolled but only 493 remained in normal category while the others slid to moderate and severe category of underweight. Of 558 children in moderate underweight category, only 22 per cent moved to normal category, whereas 10 per cent slipped to severely underweight category. Of the enrolled 267 severely underweight children, just 41 per cent moved to moderate and normal category while rest 59 per cent continued to wallow in the same severe underweight category.
To run the programme, the PMU engaged 17 nutrition coordinators (NCs) and 78 gram panchayat nutrition assistants (GPNAs) and the audit noticed that `15.79 crore was utilised. The balance was lying with the MPAs.
“The PMU had no information or data about the total eligible women, children in MPAs, who had been enrolled in the NRC-cum-crèches or were availing benefits under the programme,” the CAG noted.
This meant data on achievement or improvement in health status of the beneficiaries for key indicators like infant mortality rate, anaemia in children and women, institutional delivery were unavailable for evaluating impact of the scheme.
The reason attributed for non-operationalisation of 55 NRCs, set at a cost of `3.59 crore was that the ST and SC Development department had not made any provision for meeting the operational expenses of the NRCs.