JUDGMENT :

Nitin Jamdar, J.

Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. The Respondents waive service. Taken up for disposal.

2. The challenge in these Petitions is to certain conditions of a tender for the supply of energy multi-item contract for the supply of Micronutrient Fortified Energy Dense Food as Supplementary Nutrition Food, the Take Home Ration, through Anganwadi Centres in the State of Maharashtra.

3. The State of Maharashtra issued this tender, as indicated by its title, for the supply of Take Home Ration through One Lakh Ten Thousand Four Hundred Forty Six Anganwadi Centers in the State. The Government of India, under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS Scheme), has implemented various initiatives, including the Supplementary Nutrition Programme, to address the nutritional needs of children under six years of age and pregnant and lactating women. Supplementary Nutrition is provided through two methods: as a Hot-Cooked Meal at Anganwadi Centers or as a Take-Home Ration, which can be in the form of raw ingredients or pre-cooked food packets. Take-Home Ratio