Anganwadi centre in Indravelli where some children were not getting food as they have failed to link their Aadhaar number with their enrollment in Indravelli mandal in Adilabad district. (Photo: DC)

Adilabad: Due to gross neglect, the Aadhaar link rule has now resulted in cutting food supply to needy children in Anganwadis of tribal areas in Adilabad district. While these children were enrolled in Anganwadis, their Aadhaar card was not seeded. Now, it is affecting their health as they are being denied their quota of nutritious food. Even children of other communities and those whose parents are illiterate face the same issue.

The Centre and the state government have been stressing on seeding the Aadhaar number with the enrollment of children to Anganwadis if they are to get food from there.

According to a survey conducted by the NGO ‘Dream’, 320 children out of 650 were going to local anganwadis. They have not been getting their due share of food material as their Aadhaar number has not been seeded while enrolling them in Anganwadis.

The survey was conducted in 35 Anganwadi centres located in Dasnapur and Keslapur Grama Panchayatas in Indravelli mandal and Pochampalli and Vaipet Grama Panchayats in Sirikonda mandal of Adilabad district.

In total, there are 280 Anganwadi centres (mini and main) under the Integrated Tribal Development Agency and Utnoor Integrated Child Development Service project and above 3,000 Anganwadi centres are present in the old Adilabad district.

Central and state governments supply milk, bread, eggs and other nutritional food items through ICDS to the children enrolled in Anganwadis and pregnant women, under various schemes.

The illiterate Adivasi parents have failed to get Aadhaar cards for their children and now they realise it as important to gain access to nutritional food supplied by the government.

Some of the tribal people are now taking Aadhaar cards for their new born babies. But majority of the parents have not taken Aadhaar for their children who were born four years ago and now all these children have been enrolled in Anganwadis.

NGO director B Krishna Reddy has said that the ICDS staff should create Aadhaar for the children enrolled in Anganwadis. He said that otherwise this would result in indirectly denying nutritious food to the needy children.