Waking up to the increasing number of severely malnourished children in Devarajeevanahalli (D.J. Halli), the Women and Child Welfare Department has decided to link the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s programme aimed at identifying malnourished children.
“This will help us in keeping a track on the malnourished children and also ensure that the identified children get the medicines and nutritious food as well. To enable this, we have decided to set up at least 40 more anganwadis in D.J. Halli. The palike has agreed in-principle to give us place for setting up the anganwadis and also meet half of the construction cost,” said Women and Child Welfare Minister Umashree.
Addressing presspersons after a meeting with officials from BBMP, departments of Health, Education, Food and Civil Supplies, Bangalore Medical College, Slum Development Board and NGOs, the Minister said the palike had also agreed to repair and maintain the existing 18 anganwadis at its cost.
She said that the BBMP had identified 3,400 malnourished children in the city of which 1617 were severely malnourished.
As many as 565 children had been treated so far, she said.
With the city having only two Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) in Bowring and Lady Curzon and Vani Vilas Hospitals, the Women and Child Welfare Department had proposed to set up more NRCs in K.C. General and Jayanagar General hospitals, C.V. Raman Hospital and Hajee Sir Ismail Sait Gosha Hospital, she said adding that BBMP’s family welfare centres could also chip in with their services.
The Minister said a team of officials from all departments would visit D.J. Halli on Saturday to study and implement these decisions.
