The Hindu : National : Contempt action dropped against four Chief Secretaries

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 31, 2007
ePaper

National

National

Contempt action dropped against four Chief Secretaries

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi: The Chief Secretaries of Rajasthan, Kerala, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh appeared in the Supreme Court on Thursday in response to a contempt notice issued in July for the failure of the States to make operational sanctioned Anganwadi centres.

Appearing before a Bench consisting of Justices Arijit Pasayat and S.H. Kapadia, they said the court order had since been complied with.

The Orissa Chief Secretary, who was also asked to appear, did not turn up and he was asked to be present at the next hearing, after six weeks.

For the four Chief Secretaries who were present, personal appearance was dispensed with for the next hearing.

Dropping the contempt proceedings, the Bench asked, “Why do such situations arise that we have to issue contempt notice? The work starts only after we issue contempt notice.” As the Anganwadi centres sanctioned till September 2006 had been operationalised, steps should be taken to make functional those sanctioned up to January 2007, the court said.

In a fresh report, Special Commissioners N.C. Saxena and Harsh Mander wanted a direction given to the Centre, asking it to submit a roadmap with a specified time frame on how it proposed to universalise the Integrated Child Development Scheme by sanctioning and operationalising 14 lakh Anganwadi centres and for all services to be provided to all eligible beneficiaries. The report suggested that the Centre be asked to provide some flexible grants to the State governments so that Anganwadi centres could be opened as and when necessary.

Children in the age group from six months to three years should be provided supplementary nutrition in the form of take-home rations as it was difficult for them to come to the Anganwadi centre everyday.

The supplementary nutrition should be nutritious and based on locally procured food.

The report said Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were providing hot, cooked meal to children in the 3-6 age group and this practice should be extended to the entire country.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National