The Hindu : Chennai office refusing to clear sanctioned amount: workers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 05, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Chennai office refusing to clear sanctioned amount: workers

By Ramya Kannan

Chennai March 3. The benefits of the increased allocation for nutrition in anganwadis (from 23 paise to 35 paise per child) approved in December last are yet to reach the children of Chennai.

While near satisfactory implementation has been noted in other parts of the State, the anganwadi workers of the Chennai projects complain that the increase of 12 paise has not yet been sanctioned for them. The order for the increased allocation came on December 5, 2002, sanctioning 15 paise for vegetables, 9 paise for masala and condiments and 11 paise for fuel. The hike was sanctioned after frantic appeals by anganwadi workers who struggled to make ends meet and provide necessary rations for the children at their centres. Following persistent complaints from the Anganwadi workers' unions, an announcement made in last year's budget was followed up with actual sanction only late last year.

However, the workers are once again up in arms, complaining that the Chennai project office is refusing to clear the sanctioned sum to most of the centres. One of the representatives of the anganwadi workers working in the Egmore area says running the centre has once again become a problem with the sanctions failing to come through.

"We expected that the new allocation would bring relief, at least in terms of procuring fuel allocation, which we always found difficult. We have to put in our own money for the feeding charges and even when we submit bills, they are not cleared for several months. Centres in Royapuram, RK.Nagar and Choolai are still awaiting the money spent in January", an anganwadi worker says, on condition of anonymity.

While the children in the other centres are benefiting from the increased allocation, the workers ask, why should children in Chennai alone continue to be deprived? In addition, they also complain that the supplies, such as the chickpeas ration provided to centres through the PDS are rotten and cannot be fed to the children, a worker from Royapuram centre says. Oil supplies have also not been received over the last three months, so the cooks are forced to avoid using oil to prepare the food. "The children do not like the taste of the food and we have a problem trying to get them to eat it," she says.

The TN-FORCES convener, P.Shanmugavelayutham, points out that these deficiencies in the system continue despite the Chief Minister's mandate to make Tamil Nadu a mal-nutrition free State.

In response to the complaints made by the workers, the project officer in Chennai says no irregularities exist in the sanction of feeding charges. "It is not true that there is any outstanding amount pending clearance at any of the centres. We clear the bills as soon as we receive them", she retorts. With regards rotten grains, the PO contends that the chickpeas are delivered in good condition, but because of the storage problems in the anganwadis, rot sets in.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Chennai office refusing to clear sanctioned amount: workers

2 held for selling bogus mark sheets

Pallavaram residents want early completion of MIT bridge

Auto driver found murdered near Koyambedu market

Plan to promote healthy environment for children