Thousands of pregnant and lactating women and children (aged below six years) received Take-Home Ration (THR) nutrition kits at the Anganwadi centres across the State on Friday.
With the Anganwadi workers and helpers on strike for the last few days demanding a hike in salaries and other problems, the Collectors, Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Department, Project Directors, Mandal Parishad Development Officers (MPDOs) and other officers made arrangements for distribution of ration to the beneficiaries.
Grama and Ward Sachivalayam employees and the Self-Help Group (SHG) women were entrusted to distribute ration to the beneficiaries in the centres.
WD&CW Principal Secretary G. Jayalakshmi, who monitored the distribution of THR to women, Balamrutam, eggs and milk for children with the Collectors and Project Directors directed them to take all measures for supplying the kits to all women and children enrolled in the 55,607 Anganwadi centres.
The government is supplying nutritious diet for pregnant and lactating women and children in 257 ICDS projects under YSR Sampoorna Poshana and YSR Sampoorna Plus schemes in the State.
Kits distributed
WD&CW NTR District Project Director G. Uma Devi said that 55% of distribution was done in 1,475 Anganwadi centres in the district on Friday.
“In all, 17,219 pregnant and lactating women, 18,774 pre-school children and 42,330 children aged between seven months and three years were enrolled in NTR District. We supplied rice, dal, oil, milk and eggs to the beneficiaries,” Ms. Uma Devi told The Hindu on Friday.
“We distributed ration to the women and children through Mahila Police and SGH women in Eluru district. Thousands of women collected the THR kits,” said Eluru district Project Director K.A.V.L. Padmavathi.
Relay fasts
Meanwhile, the Anganwadi workers and helpers launched relay fasts at Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada on Friday.
“Though one lakh Anganwadi workers were on roads for the last 25 days, the government has not responded to the so far. We will intensify the agitation,” said A.P. Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association State general secretary, J. Lalitha, who participated in the fast.
Leaders of A.P. Pragathiseela Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union, AP Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association and AP Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union, along with hundreds of protesters, participated in the protests.
Published - January 05, 2024 08:46 pm IST
