The entire supply for June was found to be faulty. (Source: Express Photos) The entire supply for June was found to be faulty. (Source: Express Photos)

At the start of June, 70-odd children of an anganwadi in Walunj in Ahmednagar district found mud and sand in chikki packets distributed by their angandwadi teacher. Chikki was a new food item introduced as part of the Integrated Child Development Scheme.

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Gram sabha members later found the entire supply was faulty. The village sent a letter to the office of the Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde on June 3 complaining about quality of chikki distributed to students 3-6 years of age.

The batch of chikkis was part of the supplies cleared by the minister, allegedly flouting rules of e-tendering. Ministries placing orders above Rs 3 lakh must do so through an e-tendering process and it was alleged that the minister cleared 24 purchase orders that crossed this amount to buy chikki, mats and books for angandwadi schools in a single day.

Nearly 7.77 lakh sachets of chikki distributed to anganwadis in Ahmednagar district has been put on hold after complaints of mud and sand. Ahmednagar Zilla Parishad has also ordered that distribution of chikkis be stopped. It sent samples to food testing labs.

The “chikki complaint” was the first to have drawn the attention of the ministry, which is now being accused of flouting norms, after reports that Munde allegedly bypassed rules while placing orders for material worth Rs 206 crore in a single day. Of this, Rs 23 crore was cleared for chikkis for 20 districts for 17.5 lakh beneficiaries, Ahmednagar accounting for over 1.65 lakh beneficiaries. ICDS officials claimed the contracts were placed before the e-tendering process had come into force.

Sarpanch of Walunj was the fist to highlight the mud in chikkis. “Sarpanch Mahendra Shelambkar brought the matter to light after children complained of mud in chikkis. We found no batch number or manufacturing date on chikkis and found mud,” said sabhapati of Nagar Sandesh Karle who registered the complaint with ZP president Manisha Gund. On June 18, the issue was raised in the GB meeting of the Zilla Parishad and a resolution was passed to stop chikki distribution.

The chikkis are stored at project offices of ICDS. The Zilla Parishad registered a complaint regarding faulty material.

“We got the material from ICDS through the supplier. It was to be checked and sent. That has not been done. Since our work was to ensure distribution, it was given out. We asked for legal action on the supplier,’’ said joint CEO ZP Ahmednagar Manoj Sassey. ICDS commissioner Vinita Ved Singhal said only one complaint had come from Ahmednagar and they have directed that distribution be suspended. “Samples have been sent to laboratories and if allegations of mud and sand content is found to be true then legal action will be initiated,’’ said Singhal.

She said the contract was awarded to a Sindhudurg-based organisation, Suryakanta Mahila Sahakari Sanstha, at Wengurla in Sindhudurg district. “The contract was awarded as directed by the director of industries in February and it was in April that e-tendering process came into the picture. The director of industries floats tenders and the company and rates are decided by them and once the company is finalised the file has to be processed by the minister.”

Tests of all samples in all the districts will be carried out, assured Singhal. She added they have made arrangements to replace the entire batch, but Nagar ZP is not convinced and has stressed strict action against suppliers playing with the “lives of people.” Sabhapati Karle says the government’s intention to provide nutritive chikkis was welcome but it had to be done through a registered supplier.

The minister, in a statement, said she should be given a chance to present her side and said she had taken dynamic decisions to reduce corruption, “I will answer all the questions,” she said.

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