Chhattisgarh has as many as 54 Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) functional in the State with 2,685 children admitted in them as on December 2014.
The State is among the top 10 ‘non-North East (NE)’ high focus States. The other States in the category are Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
Under National Health Mission, 896 Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) are functional in 25 States/UTs, for treatment and nutritional rehabilitation of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition along with medical complications.
The number of children referred to NRCs by ANM, ASHA, Anganwadi workers and admitted to NRCs during each of the last three years. Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, JP Nadda stated this in a written reply in the lok Sabha.
The Chhattisgarh Government is opening ‘Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres’ (NRCs) in the community health centres of the insurgency infested districts.
In this sequence, a six-bedded NRC each was established in Sukma and Chindgarh with one each being planned now in Konta and Tongpal, officials stated. During the last financial year, a total of 88 malnurished children were brought back to normal nutritional levels in the district.
Notably, More than 20,000 women self help groups (SHGs) are now involved in cooking snacks and hot meals at Anganwadi centres across Chhattisgarh, officials stated. Moreover, about 1500 women SHGs are also engaged in making Ready-to-Eat food.
For ensuring nutritious food supply for women and children in Chhattisgarh, the State government has provisioned Rs 470 crore for supplementary diets in the financial 2015-16 officials informed. Under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), about 26.62 lakh women and children are receiving supplementary diets through over 50,000 Anganwadi and Mini Anganwadi centers.
About 12.26 lakh children of age group six month to three years, 9.28 lakh children between 3 to 6 years and 5.8 lakh pregnant and mothers of new born babies are being covered in this scheme, officials said. Currently through 50,000 Anganwadi and Mini Anganwadi centers these supplementary foods are being distributed.
In year 2001, only 11.60 lakh beneficiaries were part of this scheme however now this number has reached 26.62 lakh, they said. Women and Child Development Department officials informed that children of age group 3 to 6 years who are suffering from serious malnutrition are provided hot food and snacks in the Anganwadi centers.
Meals served to these children include rice, vegetables, mixed dal while the snacks like ready-to- eat food, soaked gram, jiggery and roasted ground nut. Nearly 43,000 children in Chhattisgarh have been cured of malnutrition under State government’s ‘Nava Jatan Scheme’ till February 2015, officials stated.
Under millennium development goals, malnutrition level in the State has to be reduced to 30 per cent by the end of December 2015. Success of Nava Jatan Scheme has brought Chhattisgarh closer to this target, they stated.
Children are future of the nation and the State. Healthy, well-nourished and educated children lay strong foundation of a well-organized society. Every country and State formulates various schemes, policies, rules, programmes and provisions to ensure good health, appropriate upbringing and security of children. Presently, malnutrition is a severe problem for many states of the country including Chhattisgarh.
To solve this problem, Nava Jatan Scheme was initiated in state in year 2012. The chief objectives of this scheme are to create public awareness about malnutrition and to take effective measure to eradicate the problem of malnutrition in children. Public participation in implementation of this scheme has been yielding promising results.
As per the data of ‘Vazan Tyohar’, (Weighing Festival) level of malnutrition in state has diminished to 33 per cent, whereas as per the National Family Health Survey-2003 malnutrition in Chhattisgarh in year 2005 was around 52 per cent.
According to the experts in the subject, malnutrition is generally termed to the health condition caused due to low consumption of nutritious food, consumption of less nutritious food, consumption of food in insufficient quantity or disorder caused due to illness.
Besides, malnutrition is also caused due to lack of awareness among poor people, mothers owing to which they do not adopt necessary food habits during pregnancy and later. To work on these causes and to achieve millennium development goals by eradicating malnutrition in children, State Government initiated Nava Jatan Scheme.
Chief Minister Raman Singh inaugurated this scheme of Women and Child Development Department in year 2012 at District Headquarters Kondagaon.
Till date, two phases of this scheme have been completed in the State and the third phase is nearing completion. All three phases of the scheme have shown promising results.
Based on the positive results, this scheme has been underlined as innovation. Chhattisgarh has gained popularity across the country for successful implementation of this scheme. The Central Government has also appreciated Chhattisgarh for enactment of this innovative scheme.
The Nava Jatan Scheme is based on the strategy to eradicate malnutrition through community based management. Departmental team along with guardians of children, gram panchayats, Suposhan Mitra, local self-help groups and social welfare organizations have been actively participating in implementation of the scheme by nourishing and looking after the ‘children suffering from malnutrition’ for continuous six months so as to bring their level of nutrition close to normal.
The Nava Jatan Scheme is an innovative initiative under Malnutrition Eradication Campaign. Under this scheme, children are provided delicious nutritious meal. Their health condition and body weight is regularly monitored. Children, who need special medical treatment for improvement in their condition, are sent to nutrition rehabilitation centers or hospitals.
Women and Child Development Minister Ramsheela Sahu regularly monitors the progress in implementation of the scheme.
In the first phase of Nava Jatan Scheme, as many as 22329 children (with medium or severe malnutrition) of 340 Gram Panchayats were targeted. Around 51 NGOs, 427 Women self-help groups and 365 suposhan mitra actively contributed in looking after these children. In the final assessment of this phase, 7036 children i.e. 35.12 per cent of the children were found under normal nutrition-level category.
This result has been confirmed by the independent survey conducted by BPNI organization in association with UNICEF. In the second phase of Nava Jatan, 38291 children (with medium or severe malnutrition) of 573 Gram Panchayat of 27 districts were targeted under the scheme. As per the figures of February 2014, 16341 children i.e. 48.78 per cent of the targets children have been cured of malnutrition.
Third phase of Nava Jatan Scheme has commenced from September 1, 2014 and will conclude on February 28. In this phase, 66000 children of nearly 1066 Gram Panchayats of the State have been targeted to be cured of malnutrition. Nearly 1500 women self-help groups and 2850 ‘Suposhan Mitra’ have been included under the third phase of this scheme to achieve the target.
Each women SHG will look after 25 children on an average, whereas ‘Suposhan Mitra’ have been given the target to cure 10 children of malnutrition. Gram Panchayats will be selected at district-level on priority basis. As many as 19378 children out of the total targeted children have been already cured of malnutrition. For 18-20 Gram Panchayats of each district, one master trainer has been appointed under the scheme.
Promising results on continuous basis have established Nava Jatan Scheme as an innovation in Chhattisgarh.