Does not agree with NITI Aayog proposal of giving cash in lieu of dietary supplements in ICDS: WCD Ministry

The Women and Child Development Ministry does not agree with the proposal of NITI Aayog over the provision of giving cash in lieu of dietary supplements to pregnant and lactating mothers, the Rajya Sabha was told today.

The government's think-tank NITI Aayog in its national nutrition strategy had recommended initiating pilot schemes in a few districts to test if cash transfers could replace the provision of take-home rations and supplementary nutrition as part of its Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to plug the leakages.

Under the ICDS, the government provides food, pre-school education and primary health care at anganwadi centres.

When asked whether it is a fact that a proposal by NITI Aayog for Direct Cash Transfer in lieu of Take Home Ration to pregnant and lactating mothers under the ICDS was rejected by the ministry, Minister of State Virendra Kumar told the Rajya Sabha, "the ministry has not agreed with the proposal of NITI Aayog".

"The instances of leakages in distribution of Take Home Ration as and when reported to the ministry are taken up with the states and union territories for taking remedial measures," Kumar said in response to a question whether there are 80 per cent leakages in Take Home Ration scheme.

In a written reply, the minister has requested the state governments and union territories to obtain and validate Aadhar number or any similar identifiers of beneficiaries and plug the leakages.

When contacted, a WCD official said a conditional cash transfer scheme was piloted in Jharkhand where the beneficiaries were asked to choose between cash in lieu of food and it was found that 97 per cent of the people wanted ration instead of cash.

The WCD official also said that Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi would be writing to the NITI Aayog opposing the provision of implementing cash transfers in lieu of dietary supplements.