<p class="title">Despite the government orders for door delivery of dry ration items during the Covid-19 lockdown crisis, children, pregnant women and lactating mothers in villages are seeing a great disparity in the distribution of such benefits, a random survey conducted in 80 villages has found. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The People’ Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), which has filed a petition in the high court in this regard, has submitted a report of the survey conducted in the villages, spread across 20 districts, in the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Of the 80 villages or localities, anganwadi centres in 10 areas have not yet provided rations for children between the ages of 0-6 years. In other anganwadis, there is a wide disparity between the quantity of ration being provided per child,” the PUCL said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The following are some of the findings of the survey: The quantities ranged from ‘very little’ or ‘480 grams rice only’ in some districts to comprehensive packages of 4.17 kg of the nutritional mix (ragi, rice and green gram) and 200-gram sugar for children between six months and three years. </p>.<p class="bodytext">For children between three and six years, a package of 2.85 kg rice, 500-gram jaggery, 232- gram groundnut, 380-gram tur dal, 190 grams green gram, 1 kg broken wheat and sugar were provided. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Eggs, though mandatory, were not provided to 70% of respondents while milk was not given to children up to the age of six years in 43.75% of areas. “Even where provided, the quantity varies wildly, with 70-gram milk powder being given in some areas and 500 gram in other areas. There is often uncertainty about the period for which the rations were provided. Only in 17 of 80 cases did respondents have a vague idea about when the next set of rations would be provided,” the petition said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The disparity in the quality and quantity was echoed by pregnant women in 75% of the surveyed areas were provided with some amount of ration. “Significantly, 73.75% of respondents had not received the Iron/Folic Acid tablets that must be given to pregnant women to counter anaemia,” it said, adding that in the case of adolescent girls, only 13.75% of respondents said they received the benefits. </p>
<p class="title">Despite the government orders for door delivery of dry ration items during the Covid-19 lockdown crisis, children, pregnant women and lactating mothers in villages are seeing a great disparity in the distribution of such benefits, a random survey conducted in 80 villages has found. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The People’ Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), which has filed a petition in the high court in this regard, has submitted a report of the survey conducted in the villages, spread across 20 districts, in the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Of the 80 villages or localities, anganwadi centres in 10 areas have not yet provided rations for children between the ages of 0-6 years. In other anganwadis, there is a wide disparity between the quantity of ration being provided per child,” the PUCL said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The following are some of the findings of the survey: The quantities ranged from ‘very little’ or ‘480 grams rice only’ in some districts to comprehensive packages of 4.17 kg of the nutritional mix (ragi, rice and green gram) and 200-gram sugar for children between six months and three years. </p>.<p class="bodytext">For children between three and six years, a package of 2.85 kg rice, 500-gram jaggery, 232- gram groundnut, 380-gram tur dal, 190 grams green gram, 1 kg broken wheat and sugar were provided. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Eggs, though mandatory, were not provided to 70% of respondents while milk was not given to children up to the age of six years in 43.75% of areas. “Even where provided, the quantity varies wildly, with 70-gram milk powder being given in some areas and 500 gram in other areas. There is often uncertainty about the period for which the rations were provided. Only in 17 of 80 cases did respondents have a vague idea about when the next set of rations would be provided,” the petition said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The disparity in the quality and quantity was echoed by pregnant women in 75% of the surveyed areas were provided with some amount of ration. “Significantly, 73.75% of respondents had not received the Iron/Folic Acid tablets that must be given to pregnant women to counter anaemia,” it said, adding that in the case of adolescent girls, only 13.75% of respondents said they received the benefits. </p>
