Ladies special
In 2006, Delhi decided to experiment with the supplementary nutrition programme: it handed over the scheme to NGOs. Swami Sivananda Memorial Institute (SSMI) was given the charge of the Jahangirpuri resettlement colony in western Delhi. It had to cater to about 14,000 children and women. The NGO formed a self-help group of women from the community it served. Some of the employees had their children getting food under the scheme. The kitchen was located within the community to ensure accountability. Lady Irwin College decided the menu. "Since these are colonies of migrating labourers from different states, we try to vary the menu to match their taste,' says Sunita Bhasin, director, SSMI. "The women working in the kitchen ensure that vegetables, oil and grain are well stocked. Safety is important, so we ensured the gas pipelines were fixed instead of using cylinders,' Bhasin adds. The food is taken to anganwadis in the area by rickshaw pullers. The system ensures that the hot cooked meal is consumed within half an hour. Bhasin says since it is a community project there is no corruption.
What does she think of public-private partnership? "We are not against private partnership if they could help self-help groups in introducing variety in the menu or make the procurement process easy. These kind of linkages are called for,' she says. But Bhasin is not in favour of packaged food. "There needs to be proper monitoring of the shelf life of the product and the quality and quantity of food being supplied. There is no such system in place,' she adds.
SSMI is providing employment to 20 women and seven rickshaw pullers. More than 30 low-skilled families get income on an investment of less than Rs 3.5 lakh. If the SSMI model is taken, the programme in the entire NCR can create at least 1,000 low-skilled jobs.