The Women and Child Welfare Department (W&CWD) has decided to arrange for the door delivery of all the nutrition supplies to the women and children covered under its programmes in the backdrop of total lockdown announced by the State government till March 31 to prevent the spread of highly-infectious coronavirus.
In the orders issued late on Sunday night, the State government has decided to keep all Anganwadi centre shut till March 31 as part of its lockdown measures. To ensure that the beneficiaries — pregnant women, lactating mothers and pre-school going age children — get nutritious food supplements, the necessary supplies which otherwise are given at the Anganwadi centres would be given to them at their homes.
Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod held a review meeting here on Monday and instructed the officials to arrange for supply of nutritional ration to the beneficiaries at their homes in the wake of coronavirus restrictions. She stated that the supply of the nutritious food and other material would be supplied to the beneficiaries at their homes by village-level committees and the supplies would be made on Ugadi festival day and Sundays too.
Due date
The orders issued as part of total lockdown also make it clear that all pregnant women who are expected to deliver during the months of March and April will be listed, monitored and assisted by medical staff to ensure their institutional delivery.
The Minister asked the Angnwadi workers and helpers to inform their higher-ups about persons having symptoms of coronavirus or those who have come from abroad so that the officials concerned could take necessary steps including sending those who need to be quarantined to the quarantine facilities.
The Minister assured the beneficiaries of Women and Child Welfare Department programmes that they need worry about disruption in the supply nutritious food and other material such fortified food, rice, dal, edible oil, milk, eggs, ‘balamrutham’, snacks (‘murukulu’) that are provided to them daily at the Anganwadai centres. The village-level committees including Anganwadi teachers, helpers, village secretaries, Asha workers and the local police would ensure that the material would reach the beneficiaries even on Sunday.
Staff attendance
Asking the employees of the department to attend to duties in rotation method at 20% staff a day, the Minister told the officials to maintain improved sanitation in the ‘Sishu Vihaars’ and other Homes in the backdrop of the virus spread.
Secretary of Women and Child Welfare D. Divya stated that about 3.3 lakh pregnant women were registered with the department now under ‘Aarogya Laxmi’ scheme and the children in the age group of 3-6 years were 4.4 lakh and those in the age group of 7 months and up to 3 years were 8.4 lakh.
Published - March 23, 2020 08:06 pm IST
