The Uttar Pradesh government’s campaign to fight malnourishment has come as a blessing for society as on one hand it is helping to fight malnourishment and, on the other, it has generated employment at the village level as over 63,000 women associated with self-help groups are employed in the distribution of nutritious edibles.
The women members of self-help groups, operating under the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihoods Mission, are engaged in the drive to eradicate malnutrition from the state.
“As many as 63,000 self-help group women are procuring and packaging dry ration consisting of wheat, rice, gram, pulses and edible oil from Nafed in all the development blocks of 75 districts of the state,” a government official said. Dry ration is being distributed from 1,64,714 Anganwadi centres to 1,47,99,150 beneficiaries, including children aged six months to three years and three to six-years old, pregnant and lactating women, malnourished children and teenage girls.
“The state government is also taking all necessary steps to improve the health of malnourished mothers, children and girls during the ongoing pandemic. The government has entrusted the Child Development Services and Nutrition department with this important responsibility,” the official said. The UP government is also setting up production units in altogether 204 development blocks of 43 districts of the state under ‘Recipe for best take home ration’ scheme. Around 15 to 20 women will prepare the recipe and distribute it at Anganwadi centres. In the first phase of the scheme, a production unit was set up at Malwan development block of Fatehpur as well as Bighapur development block of Unnao. In the remaining 202 development blocks, a production unit is likely to be set up soon. Each unit will employ 15 to 20 women with their number reaching 3,060, increasing their income.
The government recently released the required funds for distributing nutritious food to malnourished children for three months amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cereals, pulses, ghee and milk powder are distributed to malnourished children and pregnant women.