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Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Kerala govt revises anganwadi food menu; introduces egg biryani, pulao
Kochi: The daily food menu for over 33,000 anganwadis in Kerala has been revised with dishes like egg biryani and pulao introduced for the first time, said the state's women and child development minister Veena George. The minister said the government has ratified a model uniform food menu to be used in all 33,120 anganwadis in the state with the aim of ensuring a nutritious, protein-rich diet for the children. In January this year, a video of Riju S Sundar, affectionately called Sanku, a child at an anganwadi in Devikulam taluk in Idukki district, had gone viral. In the video, Sanku was heard making a fervent plea for biryani and chicken fry at the anganwadi instead of upma. After the video went viral on social media, minister George had reacted to it stating that the government would consider Sanku's request positively. On Tuesday, George, while inaugurating the state-level reopening of anganwadis in Pathanamthitta district, announced that the government had revised the food menu by acceding to requests of children like Sanku. 'We realised that it was important to revise the menu and have a uniform meal plan across all anganwadis. Since we are already supplying eggs, we have decided to introduce egg biryani and pulao. Also, there has been an approval from the anganwadi working group on distributing milk and eggs from the current two days a week to three days. The finance department will approve the funding for this,' the minister said. On the revised food menu are dishes like pidi (rice dumplings), green gram curry, rice, nutri laddoo, soy dry fry, stir-fried vegetables and broken wheat pulao, apart from milk and eggs. The minister said the new initiative of the WCD called 'Kunjoos' to track the physical, mental and intellectual well-being of a child in anganwadis has also been launched this year. Kunjoos cards, which will help teachers assess the physical and mental faculties of over 5 lakh children, have been distributed, she said.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Maharashtra ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme: Over 2,289 women govt employees availed benefits illegally
The Maharashtra Women and Child Development (WCD) Department has identified 2,289 women state government employees who enrolled for the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin' scheme and illegally availed its benefits despite being ineligible, WCD Minister Aditi Tatkare said on Friday. According to official sources, the total amount availed illegally by the women is estimated at around Rs 3 crore and the state government is likely to recover the money from them. 'Verification of beneficiaries is a standard and ongoing process in the implementation of any scheme, and it is being strictly followed in the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme. During verification conducted around January–February, we found that 2,289 government employees had enrolled for the scheme. Since then, no benefits have been distributed to these employees. We remain committed to ensuring that the scheme benefits only the rightful beneficiaries, and this verification process will continue on a regular basis,' Tatkare said. The revelation came after the WCD department launched a comprehensive verification process of beneficiary applications in recent months. The General Administration Department (GAD) collaborated by sharing data of state government employees with the Information Technology Department for cross-verification. During this exercise, data from around two lakh applications was scrutinised via the Sevaarth system. As per the scheme's eligibility criteria, government employees are explicitly barred from receiving benefits. However, verification revealed that 2,289 women government employees had not only registered but also received financial assistance under the scheme. Launched in July 2024, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana aims to empower women by providing Rs 1,500 per month to eligible beneficiaries. The scheme is intended for women whose annual family income does not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Police stations in 8 districts to house trauma support centres for women
Mumbai: The state government has approved the establishment of temporary shelters-cum-counselling centres for women in 104 police stations spread across eight districts. These centres will provide immediate psychological support, legal aid, and short-term rehabilitation to women and children facing abuse. They will be funded by the state government and operated by non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The approval was granted at the State Level Steering Committee meeting dated February 20, which was chaired by the additional chief secretary (home department). The government resolution issued subsequently named nine NGOs to run the centres – one NGO each for Palghar, Satara, Ahmednagar, Nandurbar, Buldhana, Nagpur and Amravati districts, and two NGOs for Wardha. Police stations are usually the first point of contact for women and children who face abuse, and police personnel often provide informal counselling and escort survivors to shelter homes, said a senior official from the women and child development (WCD) department, which will be the controlling authority under the scheme. 'This new model will formalise the process by establishing dedicated units within police stations, allowing for decentralised, better-equipped support facilities,' the official said. Each shelter-cum-counselling centre will be located inside a police station and be overseen by district women and child development officers and superintendents of police. They will be staffed by counsellors with master's in social work (MSW) degrees, who will help survivors file police complaints, offer trauma-informed counselling, and assist in navigating medical and legal processes. Counsellors' honorariums will be transferred by the state government directly to their bank accounts, eliminating the need for payments via NGOs. The move follows widespread criticism of the 45 One-Stop Crisis Centres (OSCs) in the state, which are located inside hospital premises and offer support to rape and molestation victims. A 2023 review by the state commission for women revealed that most OSCs lacked trained personnel, round-the-clock services, and coordination with the police. In Mumbai, only one out of every 110 rape survivors was referred to an OSC. 'We had to start holding sensitisation sessions just to get the police to refer survivors to us,' said Swati Bandose from the Jogeshwari Trauma Centre OSC. 'Often, police don't involve us at all. Locating these services within police stations is the right step forward.' The new centres could have significant impact in districts like Nandurbar and Gadchiroli, where women still face resistance while trying to file basic complaints, said Seema Deshpande, president of Bhartiya Stree Shakti, which runs the Nagpur OSC. 'Having trained counsellors within police stations could finally open doors that have remained shut for too long,' she said. Sandhya Gokhale, a senior member of the Forum Against Oppression of Women (FAOW), welcomed the development, saying the new model placed support where it was needed the most. 'It's an institutional fix that could eliminate the trauma survivors face when they are forced to run between departments after experiencing violence,' said Gokhale. 'But it will only work if the state invests in proper oversight.' HT reached out to Dr Anup Kumar Yadav, secretary, state WCD department, but he did not respond to calls and messages.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Man arrested for assaulting 8-year-old daughter in Kannur
Kannur: Cherupuzha Police on Saturday arrested a man for allegedly assaulting his 8-year-old daughter in Prapoyil in Kannur district. Police arrested the accused Jose, 39, a native of Prapoyil near Cherupuzha in the district, after a video of the brutal assault went viral on social media platforms. Jose was booked under relevant sections of Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act. In the video, Jose is seen threatening the child with a sickle and slapping her, causing her to fall from its impact. When the police took the man into custody, he initially claimed that it was just a prank video created to convince his estranged wife to return home. However, police did not believe this. The video was reportedly recorded by the girl's 12-year-old brother. Both children were subsequently shifted to a shelter home run by the women and child development (WCD) department. Jose was produced before court and remanded to judicial custody Meanwhile, WCD minister Veena George has sought strict legal action against the accused and also assured the safety of the children.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Delay in integration of 181 & 112 helpline numbers impacts emergency response in Maharashtra
Pune: Critical gaps in Maharashtra's emergency response system have left women in distress without adequate support, as the integration of women's helpline 181 with police emergency number 112 remains incomplete nearly two years after its announcement. Currently, the state govt-run call centre (181) is functioning with only five operating systems across Maharashtra, against the required 15. A mere 15 personnel are struggling to handle 3,000-4,000 calls every day at the Pune-based facility. The shortage of manpower forces the operators to manually coordinate with police through time-consuming conference calls, delaying crucial interventions in domestic violence cases. The women and child development (WCD) department had sent a proposal to Central govt, seeking 10 additional systems and 36 more staff members, but they were yet to be sanctioned, a senior official told TOI on Friday. "The proposal was put up again. But we have still not heard from them." The official is, however, hopeful that integration would begin next month after due tests, as the areas covered under the WCD department have already been shared with the home department. Genuine distress calls remain unanswered often. "We tried calling 181 several times to report domestic violence but got no response," said a Pune resident. Another caller reported similar frustration when seeking help for a security concern. "There is no one attending to the calls." "I tried calling 181 to help me get a shelter due to violence at home. However, no one answered the first two to three times. Later, when I actually got through they asked me to contact the one stop centre (where women in distress get shelter) again. I had to stay at a relative's house," shared a victim of domestic abuse. Helpline 181, launched nationally after the 2012 Nirbhaya case, began dedicated operations in Maharashtra only last year. The service handles domestic abuse cases, health concerns, and shelter needs, making its seamless integration with police systems crucial for timely intervention. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing has been entrusted with the task to implement technical solutions and create a centralised response unit in Pune. This unit will also absorb the child helpline currently run by Childline NGO. "For the first time, there will be a dedicated unit for distress calls," the WCD department official said. "The helpline was supposed to work jointly with Sakhi centres for counselling. This overhaul was much-needed," said Seema K, who is working at a women's NGO. The delay in integration underscores the challenges in creating an effective emergency response mechanism, particularly for vulnerable populations requiring immediate intervention, said another woman activist running an NGO. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
