Cuttack, March 8: The Orissa government today admitted in the high court that while procuring dal for Special Nutrition Programme (SNP) and Mid-Day Meals (MDM) in anganwadi centres and schools in the state, it had, till date, not implemented the Supreme Court directions issued nearly 10 years ago.
The Supreme Court had, in 2001, directed that “Contractors shall not be used for the supply of nutrition in anganwadis and preferably ICDS funds shall be spent by making use of village committees, SHGs and mahila mandals for buying of grains for preparation of meals.”
In an affidavit filed today, the government said it was “rescinding of contracts in respect of 30 districts immediately and going for purchase of dal either centrally or at the district level without going for a tender at this point because it will cause dislocation in the matter as the same will also involve transportation apart from transparency in procurement of the materials”.
“However, in any case, procurement for the mid-day meal programme and SNP would be decentralised with effect from April 1, 2011,” Arti Ahuja (47), commissioner-cum-secretary of the women and child welfare department said in the affidavit.
The high court, while adjudicating a PIL seeking a CBI probe on the dal scam, had, on March 4, given a two-day deadline to the state government to file an affidavit stating as to how the good dal would be supplied to anganwadi centres in the state for supply of mid-day meals to schoolchilren.
The PIL came up for hearing today. Taking note of the contents of the affidavit, the two-judge bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra directed the commissioner cum secretary women and child welfare department to submits further status report when the case was taken up for next hearing on March 29. Ahuja had, in the affidavit, assured that the women and child welfare department “is taking all possible steps to see that good dal is procured and supply of the same is ensured to effectively run the mid-day meal programme....”
“So far as the districts of Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Sundargarh, Kendrapara and Boudh where the matter is under vigilance investigation, it has been specifically directed to the collectors that steps may be taken to rescind the agreement with the suppliers against whom criminal cases has been registered for supply sub-standard dal in higher rate,” Ahuja added.
“So far as the other districts are concerned, as no complaint has been received by the department regarding supply of adulterated dal or dal which is not fit for consumption, steps have been taken by the department to pursue the collectors to organise checks from time to time to ensure that good quality dal was served in mid-day meals,” commissioner-cum-secretary of the women and child welfare department claimed.
The state government however admitted that in case of Deogarh district, the irregularity in the supply of dal under SNP was prima facie found. “The supplier has been blacklisted. Five officers including the district social welfare officer and two community development programme officers have been placed under suspension pending departmental inquiry. At present, in Deogarh district, self help groups have been engaged to procure good quality dal. As yet, no complaint has been received,” the affidavit said.
