SC warns against stale food for kids
In the backdrop of frequent reports of corruption in ready-to-eat food supply to the anganwadi children and kids falling sick due to food poisoning, the Supreme Court has warned the states and Union Territories against providing them “infectious” stuff.
“The procedure adopted is necessary to ensure that there is ‘zero infection’ in the food which is going to be consumed by infants and children who are already under nourished,” a bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and S.S. Nijjar in a judgement said.
Since the ready to eat food under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) was meant for children in the age group of 6 months to 3 years and expectant mothers in rural areas and poor sections of urban population, it was all the more desirable that the food items supplied were processed through “fully automated” machines to minimise the risk of infection, the court said.
“We are also of the considered opinion that the food, which is to be supplied as part of the supplementary nutrition programme has to be prepared in the manner prescribed by the (Union) government for safety and nutrient composition… the supplier is duty bound to necessarily comply with all the specifications laid down by the central government in its norms,” the top court said. The top court said that the supplier selected by the government was bound to provide “a fine mix of all kinds of ingredients including revised intake of proteins and calories to the precise level.” In this regard, the top court referred to the revised ICDS standards and reminded that the norms “required that the supplementary food might be fortified with essential micro nutrients .
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PM WISHES FAST RECOVERY FOR SONIA GANDHI
Age Corespondent
New Delhi, Aug. 20
Pm Manmohan Singh and senior party leaders missed Congress president Sonia Gandhi during an award ceremony here on Saturday.
“Every year Sonia Gandhi is among us during this function. But she could not come here as she was unwell. All of us are missing her. We pray to God that she recovers soon and guides us once again,” Dr Singh said, while delivering his speech at Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award.
Senior Congress leader Dr Karan Singh chose the occasion to recall the tough times when Rajiv Gandhi had become Prime Minister after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
He said Rajiv Gandhi would have been all the more successful had he become the Prime Minister for the second time.
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