Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan district convenor and its member on Monday alleged before the district Collector in the grievance cell that the sattu provided under Integrated Child Development Scheme(ICDS) to Marshaghai block is purely sub standard.
They said the sattu manufacturer was adulterating the food, which was provided to the targeted infants and pregnant women of the block under the very nose of the district administration thanks to unholy nexus between the sattu supplier and the official concerned.
Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan district convener Ranjan Kumar Das showed the sattu packets provided to the Anganwadi centres of Marshaghai block.
The activists alleged that since more than three years, the district administration has been providing tender to one Trinath SHG of Janpada. But the sattu provided by the SHG does not maintain the quality and also violates the norms for preparing sattu for which the noble objective of the State Government to provide nutritious food to pregnant women and children is foiled.
Even, the SHG has printed false and contentious information on the sattu packets. The manufacturing date in the sattu packet generally is found written in dot pen, whereas the expiry date is never mentioned.
Trinath SHG also does not mention licence number, batch number and serial number, whereas the ingredients and the composition of ingredients for manufacturing sattu are not written. Mostly, the sattu packets generally reach at the Anganwadi center after about a fortnight of manufacturing date, alleged the members of the Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan.
Even, the manufacturer allegedly recycles the sattu packets most of the time if the sattu fails to reach in time at the Anganwadi centers.
The ICDS officials never visit the manufacturer unit to conduct a survey.
The activists demanded sending the sattu packets to Kolkota–based Central Food laboratory or the Extension Central Food laboratory at Bihar to ascertain its quality.
District Collector Debaraj Senapati informed that he would conduct an inquiry on the alleged matter soon.