To free children from malnutrition, 2,350 Phulwari centres will be opened in the State by next month. At present 500 centres had been opened in four districts. The government has set a target to make 40,000 children of the state healthy through 2850 phulwari centres. At present, practically, 3500 children have been made healthy in the phulwari centres opened in Surguja district during the last one year, out of which most of them have claimed to be normal now.
The government has launched many a schemes to relieve the children from malnutrition and these schemes have been implemented through the Woman and Child Development and Health departments. As such, the government by launching phulwari scheme through Panchayat department has set the target to bring children to normal soon, out of malnutrition. The declaration of the scheme was made on January 26, 2013. The government had issued order of the scheme in May last and preparation for its implementation has been started from June-July.
Under this scheme, tribal dominated districts have been identified. A target has been set make children of the age group of 6 months to three years healthy. The mothers, whose children are admitted in the centre, would give one day service to the Phulwari. During the day, they would spend all the time caring the children and serving food to them.
In the first phase of the scheme, 19 such districts have been identified and in the 85 development blocks of the district, a target has been set to make 40,000 malnutrition-affected children healthy through 2,850 phulwari centres. Thirty children will be admitted in each centre. In these centres, 30,000 children, 5,000 pregnant and 5,000 expectant mothers would be treated. At present 500 centres have been opened in Sarguja, Korba, Balrampur, Surajpur and Raigarh districts.