Raghubar expresses concern over high malnutrition rate in Jharkhand

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has expressed his concern over the high malnutrition rate among the children of the state and described the issue as a matter of shame for the society.

Addressing a state level review meeting over the functioning of Women, Child Development and Social Welfare Department at the project building here he said that children are the future of the country and the state and their families and said that all social welfare officers and CDPO should work to reduce the malnutrition rate in the state and the work should be done on a mission mode. He said that information should reach to every home as to how prevention can be done against malnutrition and asked the officials to accord focus in the tribal areas.

He asked the officials to find out the malnutrition rate in their respective areas and fix the targets for the next three months and work accordingly so that desired results can be achieved and said that a Panchayat which would be free from malnutrition would be given an award of Rs 1 lakh while the district welfare officer and CDPO will also be felicitated.

He also directed the district welfare officers and CDPO to fill the vacant post of Anganwadi sevika and sahayika after taking permission from the gram sabha so that children coming to the Anganwadi centres can get nutritious food on time and also provided a timeline of 15 days so that the registration of pregnant women can be done as unless they get the registration done they would not be able to to get information regarding the schemes of the Government and the nutritious food  which she should take during the time of pregnancy and post the birth of the child.

Mr Das said that CDPO should ensure that at least two days in a week the Poshan Sakhis should spread information among women groups in the villages regarding prevention to be adopted against malnutrition and they should be made aware as to what food they should consume so that they themselves or their children do not fall prey of malnutrition as the government wanted to adopt the model of prevention and cure to make the state malnutrition free. The Chief Minister said that all the Anganwadi centres functioning in the aspirational districts of the state should be converted into a model Anganwadi centres for which directions have been issued to the DCs. He also directed the social welfare officers and CDPO to undertake visit of Anganwadi Kendra every week in their blocks and district and also submit a report in this regard to the department.

Mr Das said that CDPO should ensure that at least two days in a week the Poshan Sakhis should spread information among women groups in the villages regarding prevention to be adopted against malnutrition and they should be made aware as to what food they should consume so that they themselves or their children do not fall prey of malnutrition as the government wanted to adopt the model of prevention and cure to make the state malnutrition free.

The Chief Minister said that all the Anganwadi centres functioning in the aspirational districts of the state should be converted into a model Anganwadi centres for which directions have been issued to the DCs. He also directed the social welfare officers and CDPO to undertake visit of Anganwadi Kendra every week in their blocks and district and also submit a report in this regard to the department.

He also asked the social welfare officers to ensure that all widows get the pension in their areas and instructed that widows should be identified at district block and panchayat level so that they can be also provided homes under Ambedkar Yojana. Those present on the occasion also included Social Welfare Minister Louis Marandi Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Sunil Kumar Barnwal Secretary Women and Child D e v e l o p m e n t d e p a r t m e n t Amitabh Kaushal and others.