New Delhi
The Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry has officially dissolved the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), a technical support body for community nutrition programs, as part of a government initiative to rationalize administrative bodies. Established under the agriculture ministry and later transferred to WCD in 1993, the FNB operated nationally with four regional offices and quality control labs in Faridabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai, as well as 43 community food and nutrition extension units (CFNEUs).
Following Cabinet approval based on a report by the Principal Economic Adviser, the ministry enacted the dissolution plan. The move involved reassigning personnel: 33 employees opted for voluntary retirement, while others were redeployed to institutions like the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development and the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Additionally, some CFNEUs were transferred to the Directorate of Estates.
Immovable properties and laboratories formerly under the FNB’s purview are being transferred to entities like the FCI and the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPB). The dissolution process was finalized with a gazette notification on June 16, 2021, and approved on November 30, 2020, effectively halting FNB operations from December 1, 2020.
