The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered States to come out with a uniform policy to ensure that, while preventing the spread of COVID-19, schemes providing nutritional food to children, nursing and lactating mothers are not adversely affected.
“Non-supply of nutritional food to children as well as lactating and nursing mothers may lead to large-scale malnourishment. Particularly, children and lactating and nursing mothers in rural as well as tribal areas are prone to such malnourishment. Such malnutrition may affect their immunity system and as such, such children and lactating and nursing mothers would be more prone to catch the infection,” a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde ordered.
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The court issued a notice to the Union, States and Union Territories to respond by March 27. Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde has been appointed as amicus curiae.
“While dealing with one crisis, the situation may not lead to creation of another crisis,” the court observed in its order published late on Wednesday after taking suo motu cognisance of the issue.
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Notice has also been issued to the Resident Commissioners of all the State and Union Territories in Delhi via email.
