Malnutrition cases among children and women in Sandur taluk is on the decline ever since a project was launched by JSW Foundation in association with the State government, C.S. Kedar, chief executive officer of the foundation, has claimed.
He was speaking at a function here on Monday to mark the completion of a year of the pilot project covering 239 anganwadis in 120 villages of the taluk. It was launched in June 2014.
Mr. Kedar said that of the total population of 26,579 children in the 0-6 age group, around 11,775 were moderately malnourished and 351 were severely malnourished when the mission was launched. As per the project, children and the pregnant women and lactating mothers were provided with Spirulina, a rich micro-nutrient supplement with sweet amla. “After a year, due to the combined efforts of JSW Foundation and the government, the number of moderately malnourished children came down to 7,816 and that of severely malnourished to 220.
“To ensure that the taluk is free from malnourishment by June 2016, we will organise a training and orientation programme for anganwadi workers, who have been playing a key role in the mission. There are also plans to create awareness among the people, especially parents, about the ill effects of malnutrition, and the importance of health and hygiene for a better future of their children,” he said.
Inaugurating the function, E. Tukaram, Sandur MLA, lauded the JSW Foundation. . Ashalata, town panchayat president, appealed to the parents to accord top priority to the health of their children.
