The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed the State government to immediately suspend the supply of food products that do not conform to the specification and standards of the revised nutrition and feeding norms to anganwadi centres (AWCs) through the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) scheme.
The court also directed the government to implement the ICDS scheme as per its own circular of July 2, 2020, May 5, 2021 notification and August 19, 2021, report of the technical expert committee, which were in conformity with guidelines issued by the apex court from time to time and the ICDS (Revised Nutritional and Feeding Norms), 2017, issued by the Central government.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar issued the direction while disposing of a PIL petition filed by Sangeeta Gadagin, and two petitions filed by women organisations engaged in ICDS activities.
The petitioners had questioned the legality of notifications issued on May 15 and 20, 2021 by the State government unilaterally withdrawing May 5, 2021 notification and July 2, 2020 circular, which were ensuring proper nutritional standards as per specifications.
Withdrawal of the circular and the notification “clearly indicates that the same are completely unreasoned, non-specific, cryptic, laconic and arbitrary”, the court said while pointing out that withdrawal would delay in supply of nutritional food to children, and pregnant and lactating women.
The court noted that the technical expert committee set up by the State government too found it proper to implement the ICDS scheme in terms of May 5, 2021 notification, which was issued after a series of reports pointed out sub-standard food being supplied under the ICDS scheme.
This notification had mandated that Mahila Supplementary Nutrition Production Training Centers, which were tasked to supply prepare and supply nutritious food to AWCs, will have to secure the assistance of women’s self-help groups that are certified or licenced by the Bureau of Indian Standards, for maintaining quality of nutritious food.
Also, the court pointed out that supply of nutritional food to the beneficiaries cannot be delayed further as “condition of the beneficiaries of the ICDS scheme had substantially and considerably deteriorated and worsened on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
