JOIN USKR Nagar MLA Sa Ra Mahesh, on Monday, said that the state government’s Mathru Poorna scheme, which was launched on October 2 with the aim to serve nutritious food to pregnant women and lactating mothers, is a political gimmick of the Congress party and it is unscientific in nature.
Mahesh urged the government to provide money, instead of serving food. The MLA was addressing reporters at a press conference here.
“The scheme is unscientific in many ways. It would harm the beneficiaries due to lack of hygiene and safety. The government should deposit the money to the account of the beneficiaries, instead of providing food,” he said.
Explaining how the scheme is unscientific, he said,
when pregnant women and lactating mothers are not allowed to move freely, how can they reach anganwadi centres to get food.
“Even though the scheme is implemented with good intention, it is unscientific in many ways. As lactating mothers are kept under severe care in houses to avoid any infection, the family members will not allow the mothers to visit the centres. If the scheme is meant for the poor people, the officials should think how can they travel from their house to the anganwadi centres?” he questioned.
Questioning about the hygiene and safety of the food, he said, many cases of sub-standard food for children in anganwadis have been reported. “How can the government ensure the safety of the beneficiaries of Matrupoorna scheme? Who will be held responsible, if any untoward incident occurs?” he questioned.
The government has fixed Rs 21 per meal. Let them deposit the amount to the account of the beneficiaries. Besides, the amount should be increased, he demanded.
Mahesh suspects the role of a strong lobby behind the implementation of the scheme. With the implementation of the scheme, the officials and politicians get kickbacks from capitalists for the upcoming Assembly elections in 2018, he alleged.