The Indiramma Amrutha Hastham (IAH) scheme was launched in the district with much fanfare on Jan 12 by the state government to provide nutritious food to pregnant and lactating women at anganwadi centres. It is intended to provide nutritious food to the beneficiaries and thereby reduce the incidence of infant and maternal mortality rates.
The nutritional intervention will help reduce anaemia among pregnant women and prevent low birth weight infants.
Though the government made tall claims of spending Rs 100 crore on the scheme for pregnant women, lack of sufficient funds are depriving these women of quality food promised.
The women at anganwadi centres alleged that they were not being provided nutritious food daily and eggs are supplied only three days in a week.
According to sources there are 3,570 anganwadi centres in the district apart from 798 mini-anganwadi centers in 52 mandals. The Indiramma Amrutha Hastham scheme is being implemented in 21 mandals in Adilabad rural, Boath, Asifabad and Wankidi.
The officials have identified 16,328 expectant and lactating women from 1,469 centres for the diet scheme
The Self Help Group leaders say that the government is giving Rs 10.75 per head to provide 125 gm of rice, 30 gm of dal, 16 gm of edibile oil, 200 ml of milk, a boiled egg and 50 gm of vegetables. With each egg costing Rs 4 and 200 ml of milk packet costing Rs 8 it needs Rs 20 per head to provide one full meal, they allege.
They want the government to increase the amount.
Apart from fund crunch the scheme is also facing other hurdles like lack of proper monitoring by higher officials.
Lakshmi, Anuradha and Yashin Begum of Asifabad mandal said that they were provided nutritious foof only for 15 days.
Speaking to Express Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) project director Krishna Jyothi admitted that fund crunch is the major hurdle for the scheme.
She said the government has appointed a six-member committee to monitor the implementation of the scheme in the district. She exuded hope that the problems would be resolve soon.
