The State government will launch Poushtika Karnataka, which will implement the Centre’s POSHAN Abhiyaan programme, from Tuesday.
The programme, which will converge multiple schemes for women and child, will be implemented in 11 districts in the first phase.
Announcing the launch on Monday, Minister for Women and Child Development Jaimala said malnutrition and stunted growth remained a concern among children, while 46% of women in Karnataka were anaemic. She said the aim of the programme was to provide strategic intervention in child and women welfare.
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The programme will converge Integrated Child Development Services (anganwadis), Mathrupoorna (one full meal programme), Srushti scheme (providing eggs to children), Ksheera Bhagya (milk), Janani Suraksha Yojana, and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram. The programme will also see inter-departmental collaboration between the State Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. For real-time monitoring of the programme, a mobile application, SNEHA, will be used wherein, anganwadi workers can feed information related to ICDS services and its impact on nutrition outcomes on a regular basis, said officials who will monitor the data through a centralised dashboard.
The programme will look to create awareness about nutrition among children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. Community workshops will also be held to ensure better reach of the programme. Flip books, posters on health and nutrition will be distributed among people in the district, while a Mathrupoorna anthem is also on the anvil.
In the first phase, the programme will cover Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Chickballapur, Dharwad, Gadak, Kodagu, Kolar, Raichur, Shivamogga and Uttar Kannada districts, said officials. The programme will be formally launched by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday.
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Uniforms
Meanwhile, uniforms may soon be a requirement for anganwadi children. Ms. Jaimala said that a plan had been mooted to provide uniforms to the children. She also said there were plans to add 250 more anganwadis in the State to the existing 66,000 kendras. Also, 1,440 anganwadi kendras were being upgraded, the Minister said.