Eggs in anganwadis on the anvil

The Madhya Pradesh government is planning to introduce eggs in anganwadis across tribal areas to battle severe malnutrition among children and meet the nutritional needs of lactating mothers and pregnant women.

“There is a correlation between tribal areas in the State and high malnutrition levels. Moreover, tribals have an inclination towards a non-vegetarian diet,” said Anupam Rajan, Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development Department. “A proposal has been sent to the Finance Department for the sanction of ₹113 crore a year for the programme, which may be implemented in the next financial year.”

“Undeniably, eggs are a major source of protein, are cheap and can be procured locally,” he added. For three times a week, an egg each will be provided to children and the women at centres in 89 tribal blocks under the Integrated Child Development Services.

Although the State recorded a 29% decline in underweight rate among children according to the National Family Health Survey (NHFS-4), 42.8% were still underweight, while 42% were stunted.

“The introduction in the State is important for the region as it will be the first among north Indian States where malnutrition is high,” said Sachin Jain, of the Right to Food Campaign, which collected 1.2 lakh signatures from 17 poorest tribal districts in the State to illustrate the demand for eggs to the government.

BJP opposes move

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party and several vegetarian and religious groups have opposed the proposal saying it violated cultural norms. Opposing the proposal, Leader of the Opposition Gopal Bhargava had claimed feeding eggs to children might turn them into cannibals as adults.