India, March 22 -- An estimated 62 lakh pregnant women and lactating mothers, and underweight children, in the state are being denied the benefit of central government schemes through which they can avail of nutritious food, such as 200 grams of khichdi and peanut laddoos weighing 60 grams each day. Instead, they get 50 grams of khichdi and 20 grams of laddoos per day, as the government has not hiked the procurement rates of the essentials in the last eight years.

This was brought to the attention of the state government by a ruling party legislator on Friday.

BJP MLC Chitra Wagh said in the legislative council that in the absence of any hike in funds allocation and rising inflation, the quantity of nutritious food for women and childre...