Nodal officer of the district social welfare office, Shabbir Ahmad, who is the Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC), Palamu has unearthed  many 'anomalies' with the district social office here. He had conducted a review of this office quite recently in Daltonganj. 
 
Ahmad said, "There are 2,595 aaganwadi kendras in Palamu. 30 more are to be added to it. The functioning of these kendras is most unsatisfactory. It needs immediate attention."
 
"Visit to the kendras is poor. The kendras see nearly half of the footfall of the mothers and children a day. 30 of them are to come every day. But on any day or at any of these kendras it's 15 or 16 presence only." said the DDC. 
 
"Such a dip in attendance has its related follies. Diet for the mothers and children is easily manipulated. It is to be checked. Number of visitors to aaganwadi kendras is to be enhanced," said the nodal officer. 
 
The monitoring of the aaganwadi kendras is very shabby at the level of the district social welfare officer charged the nodal officer. The district social welfare officer ought to further tone up its monitoring of the kendras. 
 
The nodal officer explained, "Aaganwadi kendras are under the direct control of the district social welfare officer who has a fleet of lady supervisors and child development project officers."
 
"When there are 29 lady supervisors and 14 child development project officers here, how come inspection and monitoring of the aaganwadi kendras is so poor, just 5 in the month of November," quipped the nodal officer. 
 
Under the ICDS (integrated child development scheme) a lady supervisor is mandated to inspect 50 per cent of the total number of the aaganwadi kendras coming under her authority every month. 
 
"Here are 29 lady supervisors and 2,595 aaganwadi kendras. From where it is acceptable to have just 5 inspections of the total number of 2,595 aaganwadi kendras in the month of November?" queried the DDC. 
 
"It's a blatant disregard to the provisions as laid down in the ICDS. The district social welfare officer can't be so lackadaisical towards the monitoring," he added. 
 
On this poor monitoring of the aaganwadi kendras the district social welfare officer Neeta Chouhan when asked about by this newspaper said "She couldn't do it (monitoring) as November was the month of election. Now, there will be adequate monitoring of the kendras."