The Gwalior District Administration has commenced a new initiative to conceptualize and develop food based nutrition in children. This initiative is based on the programs of Suposhit Bharat which aims to therapeutically address malnutrition in children.
Sources in the Administration said that various programs will be initiated with the assistance and leadership of the Woman and Child Development Department of the Government of Madhya Pradesh to strengthen the health, hygiene and nutrition status of children in the district.
The sources further added that steps will also be taken to reduce underweight and malnutrition in children. Health officials and officials and workers of Anganwadies and hostels have been directed to put efforts to expand the effectiveness, reach and visibility of under-nutrition elimination efforts. The sources also claimed that under the Nutrition India Program the district did witness a sizable reduction in the proportion of severely acute under-nourished children.
According to Woman and Child Development Department officials, currently 57% of children in the age group of 0 to 6 are benefitting in various ways through a variety of nutrition programs. There has been considerable reduction in stunting and under-nutrition in children aged up to six years. The officials further said that the Women and Child Development Ministry has already taken a number of initiatives, including setting up of state-of-the-art laboratories to monitor and improve the quality of supplementary nutrition provided in Anganwadi centres and such other hostels.