Women’s groups pan ICDC bidding conditions

The Integrated Children Development Commissionerate’s (ICDC) Rs 9,000-crore bid to provide micronutrient-fortified extruded food to anganwadis has created unrest among women’s self-help groups. The Maharashtra Mahila Bachat Gat Mahasangh, a federation of women’s self-help groups, has objected to the condition of experience of production of 25 per cent of the total quantity proposed in the bid, which they said women’s bachat gats (self-help groups) could not fulfil.

While the federation claimed that bid documents were drafted to favour a few major players, the minister for women and child welfare denied it.

The ICDC had floated a tender for manufacturing and supply of energy dense micronutrient fortified extruded blended bal aahar, energy dense micronutrient fortified extruded blended sukhadi, energy dense micronutrient fortified extruded blended sheera, energy dense micronutrient fortified extruded blended nutri-rich sevai and energy dense micronutrient fortified extruded blended upma from women’s bachat gats, mahila mandals, mahila sansthas and village communities on March 8. It will be closed on April 12.

According to Sanjana Ghadi, president of the federation, which has objected to the bid document, it was drafted in such way that small and medium women’s self-help groups would get disqualified to ensure that they do not compete.

“The state government had earlier raised objections about the quality and hygiene of bachat gats, they spent lot of money installing extruder machine. Even after that the state denied several bachat gats the contract to provide take home ration (THR) to anganwadis,” alleged Ms Ghadi. She added that Supreme Court had observed that it was not even necessary for these groups to have extruder machines and the aim was to empower them.

Ms Ghadi alleged that three major suppliers have control of the women and child department and all contracts were given to them. However, the minister for child and welfare department Pankaja Munde denied this.

Kirti Karwa, secretary of the federation, said as per the condition, women bachat gats have to have had supplied food items to anganwadis that are worth 25 per cent of the total amount in proposed bid. For example, if the gat has to compete in Amravati district, it has to have had supplied food worth not less than Rs 3.85 crore in any one of the last five financial years.