Karnataka: Milk powder supply to Anganwadis affected; mothers, infants suffer

The supply of cream-less milk powder to Anganwadis in Karnataka has been stopped for the past eight months, depriving pregnant women and lactating mothers covered under the Matrupoorna scheme, along with their infants, of nutritious milk. However, the milk powder is being distributed to school children.

The cream-less milk powder is supplied to Anganwadis for children below the age of six years to address the problem of malnutrition. The milk powder is to be provided to pregnant women and lactating mothers in the respective Anganwadi limits under the Matrupoorna Scheme.

However, as many as 36 lakh children below the age of six years and around 7.50 lakh pregnant/lactating women are not getting the benefit as the distribution of milk powder has stopped.

Vanajakshi, a beneficiary of the scheme, speaking to Republic, said, "We have not been given milk powder from the Anganwadi centres for the past few months. As a lactating mother, it would help me, but now we will have to go for milk packets which are costly and I cannot afford them due to financial constraints."

What is Matrupoorna Scheme?

The Karnataka Matrupoorna is a scheme which deals with providing nutritional food to pregnant women. Under this scheme, the government aims to giving at least one healthy meal to the underprivileged women every day. The scheme targets rural areas. 

Girijamma, an Anganwadi worker, told Republic, "We have been facing shortage of milk powder and in some of the centres, the supply has stopped completely and when we notified the authorities concerned, they said that the stocks needed to be replenished. But there has been no progress on that front for the past six months. Milk powder has not been coming to our Anganwadi since December. Families of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers have been demanding milk powder on a daily basis. We request the government to distribute milk powder at the earliest."

Children should be given 15 grams of milk powder daily except on Saturdays and Sundays and 20 grams of milk powder each for pregnant/lactating women. The problem of malnutrition among children in Kalyana region of Karnataka is high.

Shashidhar Kosambe, Member, Karnataka Commission for Protection of Child Rights, speaking to Republic, assured that he will soon meet the Women and Child Development Minister to discuss the matter. “Malnutrition is more prevalent among children in Kalyana, Karnataka. This part of our state requires the distribution of milk powder," he said.

In August and September last year, lumpy skin disease was reported in cattle and milk production was affected. The situation did not improve until last summer. As a result, there was a shortage of milk for the milk unions and the production of powder was reduced. But now the situation is normal. Moreover, skimmed milk powder is being distributed to the school. The government has to answer why the distribution of the milk powder to the Anganwadi centres has been affected so greatly.