It is obligation of State to re-open Anganwadi Centres, closed due to COVID-19 pandemic
Anganwadi Centres across the country have been closed down in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In such a situation it is a statutory obligation of the Centre and the States to provide nutritional support to pregnant women and lactating mothers, nutritional support to children and to take steps to identify and provide meals for children who suffer from malnutrition. Government has a constitutional obligation to preserve human life. The good health of its citizens is its primary duty. International covenants also aim at the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health. This is in the interest of social justice. Inadequate supply of nutritious food to the citizens, more particularly to the children and the women shall affect their health. Therefore, the same shall violate their fundamental right to health/right to live with dignity guaranteed under the Constitution of India. Central Government as well as all States and Union Territories have issued necessary guidelines for implementing statutory requirements of Act, 2013 and for meeting nutritional standards. The big question however is as to what extent implementation is on the ground and benefits are extended to beneficiaries as required by Statute. The beneficiaries who belong to a vulnerable class are not equipped with suitable mechanisms to raise issues of non-implementation and not providing food articles complying with nutritional standards as provided in Statute. The State must ensure that pregnant women, lactating mothers and children in the age of 3 to 6 years and children who suffer from malnutrition are provided with their dues. The State has to provide an appropriate mechanism for supervision and check, child development officers and other district level officers who are entrusted to monitor the functioning of Anganwadi Centres have to be extra vigilant and take steps so that no beneficiary is denied its dues. The Government of India, by its guidance note, permitted all States and Union Territories to open Anganwadi Centres, it is the obligation of States/Union Territories to decide for the opening of Anganwadi Centres. As noted above, several States/Union Territories have already started running their Anganwadi Centres which is a positive step towards the achievement of the goal for which Anganwadi Centres were envisaged. Unless there are any specific reasons for not opening of Anganwadi Centres, all Anganwadi Centres beyond the containment zones should be made functional by all States/Union Territories at an early date. All States should review the situation and take positive decisions on or before 31.01.2021 and unless there are specific decisions taken by the State Disaster Management Authority of a particular State, Anganwadi Centres be opened.
