JAJPUR: After residents of Naupal village under Dharmasala block in Jajpur district alleged supply of poor quality ‘chhatua’ to pregnant women and preschool children at the Anganwadi centre and sought action against the supplier, collector Chakravarti Singh Rathore stepped in and ordered an inquiry into allegation.
As per reports, the villagers took the matter to the notice of the child development project officer (CDPO) of Dharmasala on Monday and demanded stern action against the ‘chhatua’ supplier. They alleged the chhatua being supplied to children and pregnant women at the village’s anganwadi centre is of poor quality as large quantities of husks can be found in it.
The villagers also showed the chhatua to the CDPO. “The chhatua is poor in quality and not edible,” said Rosy Sahu, a resident of the village. She added that the chhatua being provided to the children up to six years of age, pregnant women and nursing mothers at the Anganwadi centre does not have any nutritious value.
Another resident, Nilamani Rout alleged even as the issue was raised before the local authorities, no steps were taken against the supplier.The collector’s intervention came on Wednesday after the villagers uploaded the photographs they had clicked at the CDPO office on social media.
On the day, Rathore ordered an inquiry into the allegation and asked Dharmasala CDPO to inquire and submit a report to him. Sources said under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme of the government, chhatua is supplied to the anganwadi centres. Accordingly, two local self-help groups namely Sidhachandi Self Help Group (SHG) at Patapur and Amareswari Self Help Group at Naupal were given the responsibility of chhatua supply to as many as 321 Anganwadi centres spread over 14 sectors of Dharmasala block.