An assault on children's rights in the name of 'Poshan Tracker' will not be tolerated! : Comrade Usha Rani

An assault on children's rights in the name of 'Poshan Tracker' will not be tolerated! : Comrade Usha Rani

The fact that 80 percent of children in Punjab are being deprived of Hot Cooked Meals (HCM) in the name of digitalization is a matter of serious concern  Subhash Rani, Harjit Kaur

Chandigarh 20 October ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : In a statement issued today by the Anganwadi Employees Union Punjab (CITU)—endorsed by National General Secretary Usha Rani, State General Secretary Subhash Rani, State President Harjit Kaur Panjola, Finance Secretary Amritpal Kaur, Vice President Krishna Kumari, and Secretaries Mandeep Kumari and Ranjit Kaur—it was stated that Anganwadi centers in Punjab provide freshly cooked, hot meals to children aged 3 to 6 years. This provision is crucial for the children's physical and mental development, the prevention of malnutrition, and the maintenance of their health. However, it has come to light that children in Punjab are being deprived of this vital facility in the name of the 'Poshan Tracker'—a situation that raises serious questions regarding the fundamental objectives of the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) scheme.

The provision of Hot Cooked Meals (HCM) at Anganwadi centers has been withheld due to a requirement for 25 days of attendance recorded on the 'Poshan Tracker' (Nutrition Tracker). Consequently, children are being deprived of these hot cooked meals. According to available information, approximately 80 percent of children in Punjab are being denied this benefit as a result of this condition. This situation is deeply concerning, as a scheme designed to protect children from malnutrition and foster their holistic development is being undermined by the imposition of unnecessary conditions, effectively denying them access to nutritious food.

The Anganwadi Employees Union Punjab (CITU) maintains that the objective of providing nutrition to children is not merely to fulfill data entry requirements on the 'Poshan Tracker' (Nutrition Tracker), but rather to ensure the health and development of every child. The union will not tolerate the denial of the right to food under the guise of digitalization; it is prepared to launch a struggle to protect the interests of every beneficiary. In a statement to the press, the union highlighted that Anganwadi workers and helpers have long played a crucial role in the care, nutrition, and early education of children. However, the government’s implementation of digital systems and online attendance—which has resulted in children being deprived of the food they are entitled to—runs counter to the objectives of the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services). Digital systems are intended to facilitate services for the public, not to strip people of their rights. The union further warned that if the government does not immediately rectify this decision, the struggle will be intensified.

The union demands that the government and the concerned departments immediately intervene in this matter and take the following steps:The policy of depriving children of hot cooked meals due to the condition of 25 days of attendance on the 'Poshan Tracker' must be stopped immediately. Freshly cooked, nutritious food should be provided regularly to children aged 3 to 6 years at all Anganwadi centers in Punjab. Technical glitches in the 'Poshan Tracker' and unnecessary conditions regarding the recording of attendance should be removed. The exact number of children affected by this condition should be made public, and the nutritional benefits due to them must be ensured. Instead of weakening the ICDS scheme, it should be strengthened, and the rights of children to nutrition, health, and early education should be protected. The union clarified that children's nutrition is not a mere statistic, but rather their right. An assault on children's rights under the guise of 'nutrition tracking' will not be tolerated! If this issue is not resolved immediately, we will take to the streets and launch an intensified struggle.