AGARTALA, March 22 (TIWN): A serious irregularity has been unearthed over the implementation of the mid-day meal scheme in all seven anganwadi centers under Dukli Block. According to sources, for the last one month the students are not getting food items which are distributed under the Integrated Child Development Schemes (ICDS). Students of the anganwadi centers are not getting their mid-day meal even though official records claim that mid-day meals are being provided to the students on a regular basis.

The matter came to light after students of the anganwadi centers confirmed that they were not getting any meal in the centers.

“We have not got any meal in the center from the last one month all,” one of the students informed a group of scribes who visited the anganwadi centers recently.

This is the picture of one particular block. There are strong possibilities that students of many more schools in the district are deprived of their due of mid-day meals.

Children, who were spoken to, informed that they are not getting any foods items under the scheme, while adding “Only once in a blue moon cooked pulses are distributed in the school.”

“We are not getting food items on a regular basis,” the children complained. When asked if they were getting milk through the scheme, the children were surprised they were supposed to get milk under the scheme. “We don’t know that we are supposed to get milk under the scheme,” the children said.

It may be mentioned that cooked food items which are supposed to be distributed under the ICDS include vegetable pulao, vegetable khichri, namkeen dalia, sweet dalia, sweet rice and weaning food (milk supplements etc.) for children in the age group of seven months to one year.