Supplementary Nutrition to Women and Children

Abstract

This article reports findings from a survey of anganwadis, undertaken in the tribal region of Gujarat. It was found that services were poorer in the more backward and distant hilly areas than in the plain areas of the region. The coverage of population by anganwadis was not uniform and was disproportionately divided even within the same village. At places they were serving a larger section of population than was specified by the norm. The scattered habitation in the tribal village leaves many households unattended as anganwadis were located at a considerable distance and it was difficult for women and children to cover the long distance for availing food. Hence just one fourth of the targeted population were beneficiaries of the food supplied by anganwadis. Poor infrastructure, inadequate effort and negligence by AWWs and low awareness among people were some of the concerns that accounted for the poor functioning of anganawdis. Food was cooked in excess of the expected numbers of beneficiaries, which is a cause for concern. Apart from recommending measures for improving the service delivery, the study also advocates strong participation of people to make the programme a success.