The government of Karnataka faces a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) for the spate of malnutrition related child deaths and for the 72000 severely malnourished children in the state. Anganwadis were established to ensure that children 0 – 6 years received at least one nutritious cooked meal in the day. Since the last few years, the government has been giving the contract to Cristy Fried gram which used to give a ‘kurkure’ like stuff to the kids over the last few years. Now the government, instead of taking the issue of child malnutrition seriously and taking some kind of ownership for the child deaths in the state, has sold out again – this time to Vedanta, a mining company involved in several crore rupees of scams. What does Vedanta know about children and malnutrition and anganwadis except to squeeze any last bit of profit from them? Why would the government willingly hand over the poorest children in the state to a company with a reputation of destroying livelihoods of thousands of tribals in Orissa?
Vedanta to adopt, support 2,635 anganwadi centres
Press Trust of India
Vedanta through its foundation today signed an MoU (memorandum of undersanding) with the District Administration of Chikkaballapura, Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural & Ramanagara in Karnataka to adopt and support 2,635 Anganwadi centres being run under the Government-sponsored ICDS (Integrated Child Development Service) programme. The MoU was signed between Mr Ravi Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer, Vedanta Foundation, and CEOs of the four districts, Vedanta said in a statement.
Filling gaps
According to the MoU, Vedanta Foundation would help the administration of the four districts fill gaps between needs and resources in service components of ICDS such as nutrition, pre-schooling, capacity building of workers and empowerment of community, it said.
The scope of the programme covers 1,139 Anganwadi centres in Chikkaballapura, 1,207 in Bangalore Rural, 222 in Bangalore Urban and 67 in Ramanagara.
Over 1,10,000 children in the age group of three to six years will benefit from the programme.
Keywords: Vedanta, anganwadi centres,
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/profiteer-vedanta-will-destroy-tribals-and-spawn-maoists
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/moef-panel-vedanta-should-not-be-given-mini/660942/
http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=1550
http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=1551
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/bengaluru/babus-fed-nutrition-scheme-763
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=Ne110611NO.asp
Protest at Cairn Energy headquarters – “No Oil for Vedanta!”
Foil Vedanta: New Website on the Struggle Against British Mining Giant Vedanta in India
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/article3300784.ece
Health and its social determinants 