The National Council of Nutrition in a meeting led by NITI Aayog chairperson Rajiv Kumar last week recommended that the conditional cash transfer scheme in lieu of take home rations and cooked meals at anganwadis may be put to test in pilot mode in two districts each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The council’s assertion comes despite minister of women and child development (WCD)Maneka Gandhi consistently opposing the idea of replacing food with cash.
Once the states decide on the districts, a proposal will have to be made which will require the approval of the WCD ministry.
As per the discussions at the council’s meeting it is proposed that one district in each state will follow the conditional cash transfer scheme and another district will be the control district which will follow the regular practice of take-home food rations. Then the performance of the scheme and its outcome will be compared to make an assessment.