<p>The state government’s ambitious programme of providing eggs for ensuring adequate nutrition to pregnant women and children between 3 and 6 years has hit a roadblock owing to insufficient allocation and irregular disbursal of funds.</p>.<p>As the money released is inadequate, anganwadi workers are forced to spend out of their pockets to keep the government programme running, workers lamented. This comes even as Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has directed the anganwadi workers to focus on nutrition of children ahead of the third wave of Covid-19.</p>.<p>The government provides up to 25 eggs per month for pregnant women, and 20 for children between three and six years. However, the government provides only Rs 5 per egg, while the market price ranges anywhere between Rs 6 and Rs 8. Not only are anganwadi workers bearing the cost difference from their own pockets, even the allocated funds are not released for months together, the workers said. </p>.<p>According to the recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), during 2019-20 about 35.4% of Karnataka’s children up to 5 years are stunted, 19.5% are wasted and close to half of the pregnant women (45.7%) between 15 and 49 years are anaemic. Even though the government provides rice, pulses and other food material to these beneficiaries, eggs are an important source of nutrition.</p>.<p>Anganwadi workers said they had seen visible improvement of health in beneficiaries consuming eggs regularly. </p>.<p>Sunanda H S, general secretary of Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers’ Association told <span class="italic">DH</span> that in many districts the government had not released funds for 3-4 months at a stretch.</p>.<p>“We wanted to stop the supply of eggs altogether as our workers were digging into their salaries to keep this running. However, owing to the pandemic, we decided that we should ensure adequate nutrition to pregnant women and young children,” she said.</p>.<p>Several of them end up spending anywhere between Rs 2,000 and 3,000 from their salaries, to ensure that all the beneficiaries get eggs as per the scheme envisaged by the government.</p>.<p>Considering that an anganwadi worker’s salary is Rs 10,000 and that many of them are the sole breadwinners in their families, it’s a pinch on their pockets, according to Kalavathi, a worker from Biligere project, Nanjangud taluk. </p>.<p>The coastal districts face an additional challenge as the price of eggs goes up during monsoon. “Since fish isn’t available in this season, the price of eggs goes up to Rs 8 per egg,” said Susheela Nada from Udupi. </p>
<p>The state government’s ambitious programme of providing eggs for ensuring adequate nutrition to pregnant women and children between 3 and 6 years has hit a roadblock owing to insufficient allocation and irregular disbursal of funds.</p>.<p>As the money released is inadequate, anganwadi workers are forced to spend out of their pockets to keep the government programme running, workers lamented. This comes even as Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has directed the anganwadi workers to focus on nutrition of children ahead of the third wave of Covid-19.</p>.<p>The government provides up to 25 eggs per month for pregnant women, and 20 for children between three and six years. However, the government provides only Rs 5 per egg, while the market price ranges anywhere between Rs 6 and Rs 8. Not only are anganwadi workers bearing the cost difference from their own pockets, even the allocated funds are not released for months together, the workers said. </p>.<p>According to the recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), during 2019-20 about 35.4% of Karnataka’s children up to 5 years are stunted, 19.5% are wasted and close to half of the pregnant women (45.7%) between 15 and 49 years are anaemic. Even though the government provides rice, pulses and other food material to these beneficiaries, eggs are an important source of nutrition.</p>.<p>Anganwadi workers said they had seen visible improvement of health in beneficiaries consuming eggs regularly. </p>.<p>Sunanda H S, general secretary of Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers’ Association told <span class="italic">DH</span> that in many districts the government had not released funds for 3-4 months at a stretch.</p>.<p>“We wanted to stop the supply of eggs altogether as our workers were digging into their salaries to keep this running. However, owing to the pandemic, we decided that we should ensure adequate nutrition to pregnant women and young children,” she said.</p>.<p>Several of them end up spending anywhere between Rs 2,000 and 3,000 from their salaries, to ensure that all the beneficiaries get eggs as per the scheme envisaged by the government.</p>.<p>Considering that an anganwadi worker’s salary is Rs 10,000 and that many of them are the sole breadwinners in their families, it’s a pinch on their pockets, according to Kalavathi, a worker from Biligere project, Nanjangud taluk. </p>.<p>The coastal districts face an additional challenge as the price of eggs goes up during monsoon. “Since fish isn’t available in this season, the price of eggs goes up to Rs 8 per egg,” said Susheela Nada from Udupi. </p>
