The rising prices of vegetables are burning the pockets of consumers across Odisha. The brunt of soaring prices of different veggies is quite evident in household kitchens as well as small hotels and dhabas. While the sudden surge in the prices is further intensifying, now it has hit the State government-run Aahar Kendras as well.
The meals served at the Aahar Kendras include rice, dalma and pickle at a price of Rs 5. However, vegetables are missing from Dalma these days. The dalma served at the centers only include potatoes and the quality of the dish has allegedly gone down.
While consumers have started expressing dissatisfaction over such growing issues, concerns are being raised by SHGs managing the centres.
Dalma is an Odia dish prepared with pulses and vegetables as the main ingredients. However, due to soaring prices of vegetables, Dalma is being prepared without vegetables and people are served simple dal. Reportedly, at some centres, the list of vegetables includes only pumpkin and papaya apart from potatoes.
Though people are paying Rs 5 for the meal, vegetables missing from Dalma has extremely disappointed everyone.
“Dalma served today only included pumpkin, papaya and potato. The taste is quite dissatisfactory,” said a consumer.
“People pay Rs 5 per head and the Government pays Rs 18 for a meal. Amidst the soaring price of vegetables, it is not possible to prepare Dalma at Rs 23,” said a worker at Aahar Kendra.
At an Aahar Kendra located in the premises of the District Headquarters Hospital in Nabarangpur, the meal is prepared for around 500 people in the daytime and for almost 250 people at night. People depending on these Aahar centres for filling their empty stomachs are left with no other choice than the consumption of vegetable-less Dalma.
“The price of vegetables is quite high these days. Only they know how they are preparing meals under such circumstances,” said a relative of a patient in Umerkote.
“Amid the soaring prices of vegetables, we are facing difficulty to add 5-7 varieties of vegetables in Dalma,” said Sehenaz Banu, SHG President, Nabarangpur.
However, the situation is somehow better at the Aahar Kendra on the premises of Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar. Though the quality of dalma is compromised and the quantity of vegetables has reduced, people seem to be content with it.
Not just Aahar Kendras, different Anganwadi Centers have also been facing the brunt of soaring prices of vegetables. Dalma served to small children are prepared with less or no vegetables. Children with no other option are forced to eat low-quality dalma.
“Considering the current situation of market inflation, we are getting overburdened. However, we have to manage according to the government’s budget,” said an Anganwadi worker in Bangarkhadigadia.