Cases of gross mismanagement when it comes to the quality of food served to kids at government schools and anganwadis crop up year after year.? And every single time it invariably a case of poor hygiene, worms and insects, and expired food products.
Reuters
This time again, food distributed by the Karnataka government at Anganwadi centres (AWC) has reportedly come under the scanner for its worrying food quality.?
According to a Mirror Now investigation, the food items used at these centres were well past their consumption dates. The report claims that a quality check led to the sad state of affairs in of the AWC kitchens.?
The food that was used to feed young kids and pregnant woman was infested with worms, ants and insects! But what's more disconcerting is the shocking negligence of staff at the AWC.?
In an anganwadi only children from 3-6 years of age come and it's a crucial period for the development of the child's physical and mental health. Cases of poor food quality are only? making things worse for the kids.?
Mirror Now quoted a teacher as saying, "We just oversee when the children are fed. They prepare the food, we come from work during the day and oversee lunch."
The anganwadi workers say that the infested food items were given to them by the godowns and there's nothing they could do to change things.?
Vivek Reddy, member of the Bharatiya Janata Party shocked by the investigation, ordered a?strict vigilance of all the state-listed godowns before the food distribution.
In the month of May, anganwadi workers from across Karnataka gathered in Bengaluru to protest against the government¡¯s decision to start lower and upper kindergarten classes.?
¡°We protested because the government is planning to merge LKG and UKG to Karnataka Public Schools. What will happen to the anganwadi workers and where will they go?¡±?S Varalakshmi, president of Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers¡¯ told The Logical Indian.
In a budget proposal, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy had said?the government would shift anganwadis to 4,100 government schools. There were also plans to start LKG and UKG classes? in government schools to increase enrollment, reports TOI.