NEW DELHI: A Congress member claimed in Lok Sabha on Friday that wheat or fortified rice was not supplied to anganwadi centres in Telangana even though the Centre had stated so in reply to a parliamentary question.
Taking note of his claim, Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD) Smriti Irani said it's "a very serious charge" and "a matter of investigation", and assured the House and the Congress member that she will seek an explanation from the Telangana government.
"Not even one grain of wheat or one grain of fortified rice has been supplied to anganwadi centres in Telangana," Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed during Question Hour.
However, he noted, the WCD Ministry in its written reply had stated that a total of 19,000 tonnes of wheat, 6,000 tones of rice and another 19,000 tones of fortified rice had been supplied to the anganwadi workers under the Centre's ration scheme.
"Food grains, actually supplied to the anganwadi workers, has only been the coarse rice with a lot of broken rice and foreign materials," Reddy said and sought to know from the minister, "What was the actual supply of food grains to anganwadi centres in 2021-22.
" Replying to his question, the minister expressed "shock" over his claim and assured that she will seek an explanation from the Telangana government in the matter.
"I am particularly shocked that the member levies a serious charge that such food grains have not found themselves in the supply chain in the anganwadi systems of the state," the minister said.
"I will, with a note of caution, take his outrage pointedly to the state government and seek an explanation," she added.
On the her ministry's written reply to the question related to the supply of ration to anganwadi centres in Telangana, she said this is "the position of the government of India upon the receipt of these food grains by the state governments."