Children of the Scheduled Tribe Hindu Athiyan community at JJ Nagar in Arasur panchayat, Mayiladuthurai district standing near a vehicle used by their parents to sell plastic products. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Over 100 Scheduled Tribe families in Sirkazhi taluk have been denied access to anganwadi services for several months, raising serious concerns about malnutrition among children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
The affected JJ Nagar settlement in Arasur Gram Panchayat is home to 110 families belonging to the Athiyan Hindu community with nearly 150 children. Community estimates indicate that 28 children are under the age of two, 10 are in the 3-5 age group and 119 are in the 5-18 age group.
Residents say all services at the angandwadi have been suddenly stopped since March last year after a three-year-old girl was assaulted near the angandwadi, for which a police complaint was filed. Their repeated petitions to local and district authorities were in vain in this regard.
Under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme, anganwadi centers are mandated to provide supplementary feeding for children under 6 years of age, supplementary feeding for pregnant and lactating women, pre-school non-formal education for children aged 3 to 6 years and health and nutrition education, in addition to facilitating immunization, health check-ups and coordination with the public health system.
The women told The Hindu that children who used to get eggs, sathumava (fortified formula) and cooked food are no longer getting them. Pre-school education and take-home rations are over.
“Earlier they used to call us regularly and get eggs and nutritional formula. Now there is no communication at all. Everything has stopped,” said Nagavalli K., a resident of the village and mother of a 13-year-old boy.
Bhuvaneshwari A., who has a one-year-old daughter and earns a living by selling plastic, said the withdrawal of anganwadi support has worsened the community’s already fragile economic situation. “Earlier we were helped by some nutritional support. Now the food is insufficient and the intake is irregular,” she said.
Signs of malnutrition
Several residents reported that children in the village showed visible signs of malnutrition. Velammal R., mother of two boys aged 12 and 15, said they both looked much younger than their age. “They look like five- and eight-year-old boys. We barely earn ₹500 on the days we have work. It is impossible to buy nutritious food,” she said.
Many families depend on the daily wages associated with plastic trading, while some have been forced to beg due to lack of livelihood opportunities.
Activists working in the area said nutritional vulnerability in the village was noted during routine health monitoring through government systems. While vaccinations and antenatal services continue through health workers, residents said nutrition support – the main mandate of anganwadi centers – has been denied.
“Evidence-based data collected during regular health visits shows that children are nutritionally compromised here. Denying ICDS benefits will only worsen the situation,” said Prema Revathi, founder of Vanavil Trust, a community-based NGO.
Residents pointed to the absence of basic infrastructure, such as proper roads and consistent access to education, which deepened their sense of social exclusion.
When contacted, a senior ICDS official at the district level told The Hindu that they would look into the issue.
Published – 18 Jan 2026 20:10 IST
