COVID-19: 'Helpless' Gujarat govt can't supply midday meal, ICDS food to children

By Pankti Jog*
Following the coronavirus outbreak, the government declared closure of all schools and anaganwadis of Gujarat. While this is an essential preventive measure, evidence suggests, it has excluded lakhs of children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls from nutrition support they were getting from the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
At the same time, lakhs of children between six and 14 who were getting hot cooked food under the midday meal (MDM) scheme are being left in the lurch, without any alternative nutrition support.
While the government claims it is fully aware of under-nourishment status among women and children of Gujarat, there is little to suggest that alternative nutrition support system has been created.
In the normal course, ICDS is supposed to provide hot cooked food three times a day, including milk. Take home ration is given to extremely malnourished children, in addition to three times serving.
Take home ration (ready to cook packet) is given to pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescent girls, and also to children between six months to three years. With anganwadi centres closed, all of this has been put to a grinding halt.
Activists from civil society organizations working on health and nutrition have tried to contact officials in the Woman and Child Development department of the Gujarat government to ensure that ICDS and MDM are made operational, but it seems the department is helpless.
While everyone is aware that the entire state is currently focusing on the coronavirus epidemic preventive measures, one cannot deny the possibility of severe illness due to undernourishment.

As against Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are distributing ration from schools or from fair price shops after schools closure

State authorities do not seem to understand that undernourished children are more likely to catch infection and illness. By ignoring nutrition needs of children and women, the state government is, in fact, taking a huge risk.

Similarly, when schools are closed, little has the government thought about the daily food requirement of children. Most of the children coming to government schools are from lower middle class and deprived families. With complete lockdown, deprived communities are facing acute livelihood crisis.
In such a situation, children from these families need extra support. Other states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala have come up with ration distribution from schools or from fair price shops (FPS) immediately after the closure of schools was announced.
There appears little understanding in government circles that nutrition support (MDM or ICDS) are not welfare schemes, which can be run or closed as per availability of resources, or the capacity of the administration. These are legal obligations under the National Food Security Act, 2013 and responsibility of the state.
Recently, the Supreme Court issued an interim order to all the states in a suo motu writ petition, giving instructions that an alternative arrangements to be done by the state to continue nutrition support to the underprivileged. The order is dated March 18, 2020, yet till date is no initiative to comply with the apex court order.
Ironically, on entering the the ICDS website, the first thing one noticed till recently was Poshan Pakhwada (nutrition week) celebration from March 8 and 22!
---
*With Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel, Ahmedabad

Comments

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

'Fraudulent': Ex-civil servants urge President to halt Odisha tribal land dispossession

By A Representative A collective of 81 retired civil servants from the Constitutional Conduct Group has written to the President of India expressing alarm over what they describe as the wrongful dispossession of tribal lands in Odisha’s Rayagada district. The letter, dated April 19, 2026, highlights violent clashes in Kantamal village where police personnel reportedly injured over 70 tribal residents attempting to protect their community rights.

Dhandhuka violence: Gujarat minority group seeks judicial action, cites targeted arson

By A Representative The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat has written to the Director General of Police seeking judicial action in connection with recent violence in Dhandhuka town of Ahmedabad district, alleging targeted attacks on properties belonging to members of the Muslim community following a fatal altercation between two bike riders on April 18.

Maoist activity in India: Weakening structures, 'shifts' in leadership, strategy and ideology

By Harsh Thakor* Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.

Why link women’s reservation to delimitation? The unspoken political calculus

By Vikas Meshram* April 16, 2026, is likely to be recorded as a special day in the history of Indian democracy. In a three-day special session of Parliament, the central government is set to introduce a comprehensive package of three historic bills: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Delimitation Bill, 2026; and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The stated purpose of all three is the same: to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (106th Constitutional Amendment) passed in 2023. However, the political intent concealed behind these measures — and their impact on the federal balance — is far more profound. It is absolutely essential to understand this.

From Manesar to Noida: Workers take to streets for bread, media looks away

By Sunil Kumar* Across several states in India, a workers’ movement is gathering momentum. This is not a movement born of luxury or ambition, nor a demand for power-sharing within the state. At its core lies a stark and basic plea: the right to survive with dignity—adequate food, and wages sufficient to afford it.

Catholic union opposes FCRA amendments, warns of threat to Church institutions

By A Representative The All India Catholic Union (AICU) has raised serious concerns over what it describes as growing threats to religious freedom, minority rights, and constitutional safeguards in India, warning that recent policy and legislative trends could undermine the country’s secular and federal framework.

Midnight weeping: The sociology of tragic vision in Badri Narayan’s poetry

By Ravi Ranjan* Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet and social scientist, occupies a unique position in contemporary Indian intellectual life by bridging the worlds of creative literature and critical social inquiry. His poetic journey began significantly with the 1993 collection 'Saca Sune Hue Kaï Dina Hue' (Truth Heard Many Days Ago). As a social historian and cultural anthropologist, Narayan pioneered a methodological shift away from elite archives toward the oral traditions and folk myths of marginalized communities. He eventually legitimized "folk-ethnography" as a rigorous academic discipline during his tenure as Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.

Counterview

Search This Blog