A few days back, SAD leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal raised the issue of alleged ‘substandard panjiri’ (fried wheat flour mixed with sugar and dry fruits) being given to lactating mothers, pregnant women, and children in Panjab. Anganwadi workers (paid helpers to infants and mothers) have also alleged corruption in the panjiri scheme when it was taken away from state body Verka and given to a ‘private company.’ The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development Minister, Annpurna Devi, asked Panjab why these allegations were surfacing over the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) program. The ICDS program is funded by the state and the national govt. in a 60:40 ratio. Under the scheme, every beneficiary is to be given nutritious food items at the rate of ₹8 each. These include ready-to-eat porridge packets with powdered milk, millet khichdi (stew) and panjiri. There are 1.3M beneficiaries of the scheme at 27,000 anganwadi centers in Panjab. Panjab’s Women and Child Welfare Minister Baljit Kaur responded to the letter on 1 Aug stating Panjab had not given the contract to a private company but to Markfed, the Panjab State Co-op Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd. Verka was supplying desi ghee (clarified butter) panjiri at ₹110 per kg, while Markfed now supplies panjiri at ₹71 per kg. Kaur said, ‘The panjiri being supplied is highly nutritious but looking at the feedback we are working on replacing panjiri with some other food item with an equal calorie count and nutritional value.’ The controversy had started when Hargobind Kaur, president Istri Akali Dal (Women Akali Dal) and of an anganwadi workers’ association, was dismissed from service for campaigning for SAD in the 2024 general elections.
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