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Impoverished kids starved, deprived as corruption rules
Published on Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 01:25, Updated on Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 03:11 in Nation section
Tags: 30 Minutes, Children , New Delhi
STARVED, DEPRIVED: Little lives across India are being lost despite crores of rupees being sanctioned for them.
New Delhi: India is home to the largest child population in the world and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is said to be the world's largest initiative for children under the age of six.
One of the objectives of the scheme is to control malnutrition through Anganwadi centres. These centres, to be built in every village, are meant to provide supplementary nutrition, pre-school education and health services to children under six.
But over three decades later, the scheme is yet to have a noticeable impact. Over two million Indian children still die of hunger every year. Why are the government's initiatives not affecting the country's malnutrition rates? Why are little lives being lost despite crores of rupees being sanctioned for them?
When Jaharunnissah lost her four-year-old son, Khusbuddin, to hunger two months ago, she didn’t even know of Anganwadi.
”They never came to me. I didn’t even know I could go to the Anganwadi worker and tell her that she didn’t inform me,” Jaharunnissah says.
On examining Anganwadi records, CNN-IBN found out that Khusbuddin's name was on the rolls. He was marked present till six days before his death. But Anganwadi helper, Sharda Devi, admits that she had not seen Khusbuddin in the last two years.
CNN-IBN: He never came here?
Sharda Devi: No, he was a small kid so he couldn’t come by himself..
CNN-IBN: He was four years old, right?
Sharda Devi: Yes.
CNN-IBN: So he never came here?
Sharda Devi: No.
CNN-IBN: Then why is his name here in the register?
Sharda Devi: (Looks away) Yes his name is in there...
CNN-IBN: But he never came here?
Sharda Devi: No, he never came here.
Jaharunnissah says after her son died, the Anganwadi worker wanted her to sign on false documents.
“After he (Khusbuddin) died, Anganwadi worker came to me and asked me to sign on a paper that said she took care of my son, took him to the block, gave him medicines, etc. I said why should I lie? I will not sign!” Jaharunnissah says.
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I agree with Mr Tony that the major cause of hunger in India is food wastage. There is lot to
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Good work by the CNN IBN team in bringing this issue to light.
It is sad to see that more than
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