TDP’s Anganwadi wing State president Achanta Sunitha on Saturday urged the State Food Commission to conduct an inquiry into supply of poor quality food that has been causing illness and deaths of children in Anganwadi centres in the State.
In an open letter addressed to member-secretary of State Food Commission S. Dilli Rao, Ms. Sunitha said effective measures were needed to be put in place for proper management of Anganwadi centres.
She said a field level enquiry by the party had revealed that milk was not supplied to children in Anganwadis for last two to three months. A series of incidents of food poisoning and deaths of children had raised a serious concern among parents and the public, she said.
Citing cases, she said a child fell ill and succumbed after eating food and egg at the Gullepalle Anganwadi centre in Kuppam municipal limits in Chittoor district and died on his way to hospital. In another incident, more than 15 students took ill after eating ‘contaminated’ food at Podalakur Anganwadi centre in Nellore district. In yet another similar incident, 14 children took ill after eating food at Kuppili Anganwadi at Etcherla in Srikalulam district and lack of proper supervision was the cause of recurrence of such tragedies, she said.
She said the Food Commission should take effective measures for supply of healthy food to children in these centres.
