Monitoring of nutrition and health-related services in the Anganwadi centres will go hi-tech in Rajasthan during September, which will be observed as a “nutrition month”. With the mobile applications replacing the manual observation methods, smartphones will be supplied to all Anganwadi centres in the State to ensure success of nutrition programmes.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had announced in her Independence Day address on August 15 that September would be celebrated as a “nutrition month” to spread awareness about health and nutritional aspects of food in both urban and rural areas. The free milk distribution in schools for the students of Classes I to VIII along with the midday meals was also extended from three days to all days in the week.
Orientation workshop
At an orientation workshop for the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) officials here on Wednesday, several presentations were made on the activities to be taken up next month for strengthening primary health care of children and improving their nutritional standards. ICDS Director Sushma Arora said new strategies would ensure success of the National Nutrition Mission (NNM).
The district-level officers of the connected departments, including Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Medical & Health, Education, Water Resources and Sanitation, also attended the workshop. Roli Singh, Principal Secretary (Women & Child Development), said the results of new initiatives on the front of nutrition were very encouraging.
The activities to be conducted at the district and block headquarters and in Anganwadi centres during September will connect nutrition with the development of human capital, earlier considered a burden. World Bank’s representative Arvind Singhal and UNICEF representative Nizamuddin Ahmed made suggestions for removal of systemic barriers.
Rajasthan plans to implement NNM with a vision document for 2022, which is at present being formulated to ensure convergence of work by all stakeholders for improving nutrition levels of women and children and reducing under-nutrition and low birth weight by 2% each year.
The NNM, approved by the Union Cabinet, will be implemented in 24 of the 33 districts in the State. The declaration of September as a “nutrition month” forms part of the strategies for addressing the issue of under-nutrition and stunting.
