In Varanasi, an alleged misuse of government funds has come to light, where an anganwadi worker reportedly labeled 40 unmarried girls as pregnant. This situation, therefore, has sparked serious concerns in Malhiya Village, Gram Panchayat Ramna.
Recently, the Ministry of Child Development sent unexpected messages to these girls. The message, which claimed they were breastfeeding mothers, outlined benefits available under the “Poshan Tracker” program. It included access to services like cooked meals, rations, counseling, health monitoring, and breastfeeding support through home visits. Consequently, the message left the girls’ families in shock and anger.
The message specifically read: “Welcome to ‘Poshan Tracker.’ As a breastfeeding mother, you can avail services like hot cooked meals or ration, counseling, child health monitoring, and breastfeeding support through home visits from Anganwadi Centre.”
When families attempted to clarify the situation with the anganwadi worker, Sumanlata, she allegedly responded defensively. As a result, they raised the issue with the village head.
According to local reports, Sumanlata had previously collected Aadhaar card photocopies from these girls, claiming it was for linking with voter IDs. However, she allegedly used the Aadhaar details to falsely register them as pregnant, likely intending to misuse government-provided nutritional resources meant for actual mothers.
Following complaints from families, Chief Development Officer Himanshu Nagpal ordered an investigation into the matter. Presently, the Block Development Officer is verifying if Sumanlata distributed materials in these girls’ names. Authorities will, subsequently, take further action based on the findings of this investigation.
