Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh): Within a span of two days, two disturbing food-related incidents in Shivpuri district have brought renewed focus to the state’s severe child malnutrition crisis. First, a dead frog was discovered in hostel food. Then, worms were found floating in dal served at an Anganwadi centre in Karaira tehsil.

Worms found in Anganwadi meal

The latest incident occurred at Ward No. 4 Anganwadi in Karaira, where parents raised alarm after spotting worms in dal given to their children. Shocked mothers demanded accountability, accusing the authorities of endangering young lives. The food supplier reportedly fled after being confronted, while officials scrambled to pacify residents.

Project Officer S. Shekharan from the Women and Child Development Department admitted worms were indeed found in the food. He said a notice was issued and an inquiry had been initiated. However, his assurance that “no other Anganwadi has reported complaints” failed to convince parents in a district already battling alarming malnutrition rates.

Frog discovered in hostel food

This episode followed another food safety lapse just a day earlier. At Jagatpura hostel in Kolaras tehsil, students found a dead frog in the vegetables served to them. Outraged, they shared photographs of the contaminated meal and accused the hostel warden of gross negligence.

Malnutrition deaths continue

The food incidents have further intensified concerns, especially after recent child deaths linked to malnutrition. Earlier this month, 15-month-old Divyanshi from Shivpuri died weighing only 3.7 kg, despite being flagged under the state’s Dastak Abhiyan as severely malnourished. Similarly, Radhika, a tribal child from Sheopur, died at just 1.5 years old weighing 2.5 kg. In Bhind, another toddler died in July, with families alleging malnutrition as the cause.

Madhya Pradesh at the epicentre

Madhya Pradesh continues to record the highest malnutrition levels in India. According to official data:

  • Around 10 lakh children are malnourished, including 1.36 lakh severely wasted.
  • 85,330 children have been admitted to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) in tribal blocks from 2020 to June 2025.
  • Annual NRC admissions nearly doubled from 11,566 in 2020–21 to 20,741 in 2024–25.
  • In the first three months of 2025 alone, 5,928 children required treatment.

The state’s under-5 malnutrition rate stands at 7.79%, far above the national average of 5.40%. Compounding the crisis, nearly 57% of women are anaemic, impacting child health even before birth.

Funding versus reality

Despite a nutrition budget of ₹4,895 crore, outcomes remain grim. Anganwadi allocations provide only ₹12 per day for a severely malnourished child—an amount critics argue is insufficient for even basic nutrition. NRCs receive ₹980 per child, but activists highlight misuse and gaps in implementation.

In May 2025, the Centre’s Nutrition Tracker App flagged 45 of Madhya Pradesh’s 55 districts as “red zones”, where over 20% of children are underweight.

Adding to the crisis is corruption: a ₹858 crore food procurement scam revealed earlier by audits and investigations has seen little accountability.

A governance challenge

While state authorities highlight isolated innovations in nutrition programmes, the recurring cases of unsafe food, combined with persistent malnutrition deaths, point towards systemic failures. Parents in Shivpuri say the crisis is no longer about poverty alone but about governance and accountability.