By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Government on Friday assured the House that necessary verification on the alleged irregularities in supply of substandard nutrients to the beneficiaries of the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) will be taken up and food samples would be sent to reputed institutes for laboratory tests to confirm the veracity of the allegations.
In reply to a call attention motion moved by James Sangma (NCP) and Ardent Basaiwmoit (UDP), Social Welfare Minister JA Lyngdoh said that the Department is taking serious note of the allegations and it will take stringent measures to ensure supply of good quality foodstuff to all the Anganwadi centres of the State.
According to the Minister, the Department has taken serious note of the news reports on the alleged irregularities under the ICDS, a flagship programme of the Government.
“The Department is taking all possible measures to ensure that the quality of food supplied under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme meets the norms and guidelines issued by the Government of India and the directions of the Supreme Court,” Lyngdoh said.
He informed that the Centre has revised the dietary norms with effect from April 2009 and has also requested the state governments to conform to the revised feeding norms.
“To ensure compliance to the orders as well as transparency in the implementation of the Supplementary Nutrition Programme under ICDS, the Department has notified the Committee under the Chairmanship of the Director of Social Welfare and consisting of members from the Finance and Law departments, the Director of Health Services and Frontier Chamber of Commerce, among others,” the Minister added.
