Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has increased the daily procurement rate for hot cooked meals at Anganwadis by 67 per cent, from Rs 5.10 to Rs 8.50 per child, with the state bearing the entire additional cost of Rs 80 crore annually to improve the nutritional quality of meals served to more than 16.17 lakh children.
The decision, announced by the Women and Child Development Department on Wednesday, will cover children aged three to six years across 53,065 Anganwadis in Gujarat under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.
The increase of Rs 3.40 per child per day is intended to support a more varied menu featuring pulses, whole green gram, chickpeas, seasonal green vegetables and fruits.
Under the revised funding arrangement, the existing expenditure of Rs 5.10 per beneficiary per day will continue to be shared equally by the Centre and the state government.
Gujarat will bear the entire additional amount of Rs 3.40 per child per day, taking the total daily provision to Rs 8.50 per beneficiary. The additional annual expenditure is estimated at approximately Rs 80 crore.
The revised rate also provides greater financial support for the local procurement of ingredients required to prepare meals at Anganwadis.
According to the department's resolution, the daily allocation includes Rs 1.24 for tuvar dal, 85 paise for whole chickpeas, Rs 1.30 for whole green gram, 52.5 paise for jaggery, 83 paise for seasonal green vegetables and Rs 2 for fruits.
A further 65 paise has been allocated for peanuts or sesame seeds, 60 paise for spices and 50 paise for local transportation. The menu has also been expanded to include whole green gram as part of the weekly hot cooked meal schedule.
Children will receive a hot breakfast at 11 a.m. and a hot meal at 1:30 p.m. The menu includes boiled or sprouted green gram, thick tuvar dal, vegetable pulao, muthia prepared with green vegetables, spiced chickpeas, green gram with rice and vegetables, and seasonal fruits.
Other items include sheera, sukhdi, bottle gourd dhebra, jaggery pudla, bhakhri, dhokla and idli.
The Women and Child Development Department said the revised arrangement combines higher financial support with a more diverse menu, while strengthening the system for procuring ingredients locally.
"The decision has been taken under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, with guidance from Women and Child Development Minister Manisha Vakil," officials said.
The department has issued a detailed plan setting out the quantities and costs of ingredients to be procured for preparing the meals.
The revised rate increases the funds available for each child's daily meals while retaining the existing Centre-state cost-sharing arrangement for the original allocation.
The additional expenditure will be met entirely by Gujarat, allowing the enhanced provision to be implemented without increasing the Centre's existing contribution.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
