Take 5: With Japanese Encephalitis death toll at 60, anganwadis provide hot meals to children, pregnant mothers

1. Is this the first time your daughter is getting hot cooked food in an anganwadi?

She earlier got cooked food only for lunch. Now she is getting it for dinner too.

2. What is being served in the meals?

The didis are serving rice and dalma (a watery mixture of lentil, potatoes and other vegetables). The portions are good.

3. What more could be added to the meals?

It would be nice if the children could also get egg and milk. Getting egg or milk is a dream for people like us.
The anganwadi centres do not give eggs either, and serve mostly chatua (a mixture of wheat, Bengal gram and
groundnuts), a take home-ration. I also wish one more curry was served.

4. Does your daughter like the food?

My daughter loves it. The only time she gets to eat some good food is when we have a community feast in the
village. The lunch and dinner scheme should continue. We can hardly afford dal or other vegetables at home.

5. Do you know about Japanese Encephalitis?

I have seen children in my village vomiting and fainting. Bisari (quacks) cannot cure the Japani fever. I don’t want my daughter to land up in hospital.