Mud for meals: UP cracks whip on district officials

Following a damning report by a Supreme Court fact-finding team over the widespread malnutrition and total collapse of food security-related schemes in Uttar Pradesh’s Ganne village, the district administration finally cracked the whip on the erring officials.

The apex court had sent the team after Hindustan Times highlighted the villagers’ plight in a report on April 5.

District Magistrate Sanjay Prasad ordered that the power of the Ganne’s gram pradhan be immediately seized and also terminated the services of anganwadi workers on charges of dereliction of duty.

The district administration also decided to probe the allegations of intimidation of villagers by the kotedar (owner of the fair price shop), following their admission to the Supreme Court’s team.

On Friday, Prasad met the reporter of HT and asked for information about the situation in Ganne. “A criminal case will be registered against the kotedar, and sent to jail, if found guilty,” said Prasad. “We have also decided to form a three-member committee comprising villagers for monitoring the implementation of welfare schemes in the village in absence of the Gram Pradhan.”

The DM also assured of action against the Block Development Officer concerned who, villagers claimed, had paid for just five to eight days out of the 30-32 days of work done under the NREGS. “A scrutiny has also been ordered into the PDS functional in the village. Any discrepancy found would be dealt with strictly,” Prasad said.