Activists and workers from 11 states gathered at a public meeting in Delhi to demand that the government deliver on its promises for better nutrition, education and quality of life for children under six

More than 800 women from 11 states -- Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan -- held a public meeting in Delhi, on September 2, 2008, to remind policymakers of the commitments they had made at various fora, including the Common Minimum Programme, to better the quality of lives of children under six.

A Charter of Demands, which will be presented to the prime minister, included the demand for good-quality anganwadis, universal coverage of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, provision of crèche facilities for working parents, and maternity benefits for women.

Dr Jean Dreze, the well-known economist, stressed that “child nutrition is one of the main unfulfilled promises of the government. The time has to come to act on this promise and exhibit a strong political and financial commitment towards the issue.”

Dr Vandana Prasad, representing the Working Group for Children Under Six, told the gathering that “even while we are urging the government to adopt and implement a more holistic policy on children under six and work towards making the ICDS an intervention capable of addressing all the basic concerns of children from 0-6 years, we are finding that commercial interests are intent on undermining the rights of children”. Dr Arun Gupta of the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) said that nowhere is this more apparent than in the attempts being made to replace hot cooked food with the not-so-wholesome biscuits.

In India, 46% of young children are underweight, only 44% are immunised, and almost 80% are anaemic, according to a note issued by Working Group for Children Under Six. Less than 30% of children under six, and pregnant and lactating mothers receive any services from anganwadis. The ICDS programme has not been universalised despite a Supreme Court deadline of December 2008.

Dr Sayeeda Hamid, Member, Planning Commission, appealed to women “not to be disheartened” and urged them to “continue their struggle to protect the fundamental rights of children under six”. She acknowledged that “given the fact that children continue to be malnourished in unacceptable and large numbers, we need to review the on-going efforts being made to address the issue”.

Dr Shantha Sinha, Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), noted that the anganwadi was the cornerstone of the ICDS programme, and as such must be “fully recognised and sustained by both civil society and the government”. Kavita Srivastava, General Secretary, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), demanded that anganwadi workers be treated as workers and accorded parity in wage and working conditions.

The public meeting was followed by a rally through the capital and submission of the Charter of Demands to the prime minister.

Source: Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), September 2008
http://www.nerve.in/news:253500161963, September 2008