The programme aimed at providing cooked food to the old and poor in anganwadi centres has come to a standstill in Odisha's Koraput district since November 2014 due to non-supply of required quantity of rice from the Centre.
Official sources said 37,325 people of the tribal dominated district benefitted from the 'emergency feeding' programme, under which the district requires 2,798,62 quintal of rice a month.
The rice was supplied to the anganwadi centres through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). In March 2014, Koraput district received the last allotment of rice for eight months, they said.
"As the scheme aims to increase the nutritional level of old and infirm persons, steps shold be taken both by the state and Centre to ensure that the programme resumes at the earliest," said Ajit Patra, a Koraput based campaigner.
Under the scheme, rice and dalma (dish made of pulses and vegetables) is given to the beneficaries for four days, rice and soyabean curry for two days and rice and egg for a day in a week, an official said.
"We have apprised the state government of the situation," District Social welfare Officer (Koraput) Basanti Hembram said.
According to Hembram, though the district administration deposited oer Rs 40 lakh with the FCI for allotment of rice in the first quarter of 2015, no fresh quota was allotted to Koraput.
The scheme is implemented in eight districts of backward KBK (Koraput-Balangir-Kalahandi) region by the women and child development department. The scheme has been completely stopped in Rayagada, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts with 22,840, around 14,990 and 19,270 beneficiaries respectively, sources said.
