Food for thought

Cuttack, Aug. 10: Orissa High Court has sought the Union government’s stand on the decision to feed “pro-biotic” food supplement to infants in tribal-dominated areas for research purposes.

The court expects the Central government to file an answer within 10 days stating if such a practise is being followed elsewhere — especially in tribal areas.

The two-judge bench of Chief Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice B.N. Mohapatra issued the order on Friday based on a PIL lodged by Committee for Legal Aid to Poor (CLAP).

The social organisation had sought judicial intervention after the Orissa government allowed curd-like substance to be fed to infants in Sundergarh and Khurda districts for an American agency’s research programme.

The new research could play a key role in checking neo-natal deaths in the state as the bacteria-carrying supplement purportedly helps in digestion of food and prevention of infection among infants, the agency claimed.

Under the research programme infants in 283 villages in Sundergarh and 284 villages in Khurda were to be fed the curd-like “pro-biotic” food supplement. A section of state paediatricians however, expressed reservations regarding the new food on the ground that it would undermine the confidence of lactating mothers.

Bikash Dash, the executive president of CLAP filed the PIL seeking a ban on the “pro-biotic” supplement under Article 24 (d) and (e) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The supplement also violates the Infant Milk Substitute and Infant Foods Supply Act, 2003, the petition alleged.

Acting on it, the high court issued notices to the state government to clarify its stand. But, the state women and child welfare department apparently passed the buck on to the Central government.