A key nutrition programme aimed at combating malnutrition among young children has virtually come to a halt in Jalandhar, with anganwadi centres serving biscuits, toffees and namkeen to children aged three to six years amid a prolonged shortage of ration supplies.Under the programme, children are supposed to be provided dalia (porridge), khichdi, panjiri and fun pops (murmure). Pregnant women, lactating mothers and children aged six months to three years who visit these centres are entitled to take-home rations.Earlier, Markfed supplied these food items to the centres. However, after its tender was suspended in April following complaints about poor quality, the centres have not received regular supplies of ration.Responding to the issue, Gulbahar Singh, District Programme Officer, Jalandhar, said, “The allocation of wheat and rice has been completed, and supplies are expected to reach anganwadi centres within this month. Additionally, funds for preparing hot-cooked meals have been released at the block level. The process of disbursing them to anganwadi workers is currently underway.”In August, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr Baljit Kaur had said tenders for take-home rations were in the final stages of allotment and beneficiaries would receive supplies for the August-October quarter within a month.Workers said they had been arranging biscuits, toffees and namkeen for the children. Many are spending money from their own pockets, while some have been bringing extra tiffins to ensure the children do not go hungry. For beneficiaries entitled to take-home rations, workers said they had no option but to turn them away because of the shortage.Nirlep Kaur, district president of the Punjab Anganwadi Workers Union, said, “There are 1,634 anganwadi centres across 11 blocks in Jalandhar. All of them have been without food supplies for the past three months. In the absence of regular rations, we are distributing whatever packaged food isavailable.” “Similarly, lactating mothers, pregnant women and children below the age of three years, who are entitled to take-home rations, are being turned away with the assurance that they will receive their food once supplies arrive,” she added. The disruption has also affected attendance, with workers fearing that parents may stop sending their children if no food is provided.Suman, an anganwadi worker near Lamma Pind Chowk, said, “I have not received any ration supply at my centre since July. Around 15 to 16 children attend the centre. If I do not give them anything to eat, parents will stop sending them. So, I arrange biscuits for them. The children also bring tiffins from home.”The shortage has continued despite a directive issued by the Directorate of Social Security, Women and Child Development, Punjab, on May 20. The department asked district programme officers across the state to shift from pre-mixed packets to freshly prepared hot meals for children aged three to six years.Under the directive, the department also released a menu comprising sweet and salted porridge, khichdi, kheer and halwa. It directed that wheat and fortified rice be supplied to centres and funds released to workers for procuring ingredients such as sugar, milk, vanaspati ghee, pulses, salt and spices.However, more than three months after the directive, workers said the move had remained confined to paper in Jalandhar, with anganwadi centres still awaiting both supplies and funds.