Hungry kids die as corruption rules

New Delhi: India is home to the largest child population in the world and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is said to be the world's largest initiative for children under the age of six.

One of the objectives of the scheme is to control malnutrition through Anganwadi centres. These centres, to be built in every village, are meant to provide supplementary nutrition, pre-school education and health services to children under six.

But over three decades later, the scheme is yet to have a noticeable impact. Over two million Indian children still die of hunger every year. Why are the government's initiatives not affecting the country's malnutrition rates? Why are little lives being lost despite crores of rupees being sanctioned for them?

When Jaharunnissah lost her four-year-old son, Khusbuddin, to hunger two months ago, she didn’t even know of Anganwadi.

”They never came to me. I didn’t even know I could go to the Anganwadi worker and tell her that she didn’t inform me,” Jaharunnissah says.

On examining Anganwadi records, CNN-IBN found out that Khusbuddin's name was on the rolls. He was marked present till six days before his death. But Anganwadi helper, Sharda Devi, admits that she had not seen Khusbuddin in the last two years.

CNN-IBN: He never came here?

Sharda Devi: No, he was a small kid so he couldn’t come by himself..

CNN-IBN: He was four years old, right?

Sharda Devi: Yes.

CNN-IBN: So he never came here?

Sharda Devi: No.

CNN-IBN: Then why is his name here in the register?

Sharda Devi: (Looks away) Yes his name is in there...

CNN-IBN: But he never came here?

Sharda Devi: No, he never came here.

Jaharunnissah says after her son died, the Anganwadi worker wanted her to sign on false documents.

“After he (Khusbuddin) died, Anganwadi worker came to me and asked me to sign on a paper that said she took care of my son, took him to the block, gave him medicines, etc. I said why should I lie? I will not sign!” Jaharunnissah says.

Next, CNN-IBN visited an Anganwadi in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, but found no one there. The villagers revealed the centre doesn't open for days together. We stepped in to check what the kids are served for lunch, and found a fortified mix despite Supreme Court instructions to serve hot cooked meals.

“We get a little bit of sooji on pieces of paper like prasad and nothing else to eat,” says, a local, Draupadi.

Eleven-year-old Nitesh runs a shop near the centre. He says the food meant for children is often sold as cattle feed.

”She distributes that mix in small quantities and gives the rest to cattle. She gets one sack and makes it last for three-four months,” Nitesh says.

CNN-IBN spoke to a Basmati, a local resident, who says she buys the food for her cow.

Basmati: My cow eats it. I buy it for them.

CNN-IBN: For how much?

Basmati: For Rs 125.

CNN-IBN: Where do you buy it from?

Basmati: From Bansi’s.

CNN-IBN: You mean from Angadwali’s house?

Basmati: Yes. I get it from her house. Her mother-in-law and brother-in-law give it to us.

In 2004, the Supreme Court of India ruled that contractors will not be used for procurement of food for Anganwadi centres. The scheme was then decentralized to village self-help groups to avoid corruption. But clearly in Uttar Pradesh, this is not happening.

“The debate between hot cooked and fortified food will go on forever. We have to see which is the most realistic and implementable model,” Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury says.

However some feel that the scheme has been unsuccessful in its mission because government’s lack of interest.

“Unfortunately government of India has taken a very lukewarm or somewhat indifferent and, sometimes I feel, they are in favour of industrially-packaged food rather than putting pressure on the states to give hot cooked locally-made meals,” Commissioner to the Supreme Court Dr NC Saxena says.

Chhattisgarh has shown progress in shifting to hot cooked meals and women's self-help groups in most areas. But in Koriya district, there’s just one NGO supplying food to 13 Anganwadis. And an anganwadi worker agrees that the system is not free of corruption.

”They write 70 kg pulses in the receipt, but give us only 45 kg. Jaggery is shown at 25 kg but we get 16 kg. We get only 2-3 packets of condiments and they write 34-35 packets. When we ask for salt, they say it is not required, just give them khichdi,” Angadwadi worker Sobhagwati reveals.

Government officials say they are unaware of the situation.

”We have not been informed about this in the writing by anyone. I will go the Anganwadi centre and see what quantities they are getting,” Additional Child Development Project Officer Alisha Kispotta said when approached by CNN-IBN.

Over 90 per cent of women in India are from rural areas who have to earn their daily bread and butter. Many of them are anaemic themselves but receive no maternity entitlements. Anganwadi centres are of little use to them because these centres are open just for four hours in a day.

”We are at work so we can’t go. We are here all day and the children cannot go by themselves,” a daily wage labourer says.

Many feel the ICDS has never really been on the government's priority list. A budget of Rs 2-per child-per day is just not sufficient to fight malnutrition.

”There has never been enough money put in it. It was always seen as a very marginal programme by the central as well as the state governments. For around 16 crore children of age under six in the country, the budgets have been miniscule,” Samir Garg from People's Health Movement complains.

The Supreme Court had ordered 14 lakh Anganwadi centres to be operationalised. But in the present scenario, even the existing centres don't have infrastructure and the flow of funds is extremely irregular.

“There are no vessels to store ration or to cook. There are no plates or glasses for children. There is nothing,” Anganwadi worker Rachna Pandey says.

“They have given me the old primary school building which is falling apart. Water comes in during rainy season. There is no electricity,” another Anganwadi worker Roopawati adds.

Anganwadi workers also complain of being underpaid and overworked. From feeding and teaching children to counselling pregnant women, making home visits and maintaining a dozen register at Rs 1,200 rupees a month, the motivation to work hard is just not there.

“Birth, death, marriage, survey, pregnant women, lactating mothers, daily attendance, rice forms — we have to fill up all these everyday,” Rachna says explaining her daily duties.

“The money is very little. Even daily wage labourers earn more,” Roopwati complains.

Absence of infrastructure, shortage of staff, overworked and underpaid workers and, add to that, corruption. The ICDS today is a scheme that is bound to fail.

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