Vadodara children resume daily milk after payment dispute
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The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) in India resolved a payment issue with Amul and restored milk deliveries to 5,500 children attending 400 anganwadis on Thursday.
For one week starting September 17, these preschool children had gone without their daily 100ml serving of fortified milk because the VMC had not paid its bills to Amul, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation. VMC officials cleared the outstanding dues on September 23, allowing Amul to resume deliveries.
The interruption impacted parents like Payal Solanki, a domestic worker who relies on the anganwadis to ensure her child receives adequate nutrition while she works. The anganwadis provide children aged six months to six years with nutritional support equivalent to 500 kcal and 12-15 grams of protein daily, including morning snacks, hot meals, and supplemental food for underweight children.
The VMC’s Chief Accountant, Santosh Tiwari, explained that the problem stemmed from rising milk prices exhausting a credit balance established with Amul in 2012. The corporation is now reviewing its finances to prevent similar disruptions in the future and ensure timely payments.
