Allahabad High Court Directs Hot Meals in ICDS Over Dry Nutrition

The Allahabad High Court has ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to distribute hot cooked food under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), instead of the dry nutrition model. The ruling came after several PILs challenged the state's approach, highlighting the importance of adhering to the scheme's original rules.

The Allahabad High Court has issued a directive to the Uttar Pradesh government to revert to providing hot cooked meals and take-home food under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), replacing the current model of dry nutrition distribution.

Justices A R Masoodi and Subhash Vidyarthi, part of a Lucknow bench, delivered this ruling after several Public Interest Litigations (PILs) contested the government's shift away from the ICDS's foundational guidelines.

The court underlined the importance of the scheme's traditional approach to tackle malnutrition effectively, targeting young children and pregnant or lactating women, contrary to the state's defense of its policy promoting self-help groups for local nutrition.