The State Government is opening ‘Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres’ (NRCs) in the community health centres of three development blocks in the insurgency infested district. In this sequence, a six-bedded NRC each was established in Sukma and Chindgarh with on each being planned in Konta and Tongpal, officials stated.
During the last financial year, a total of 88 malnourished 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 1,500 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 Rs470 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 the future of the nation and the State. Healthy, well-nourished and educated children lay strong foundation of a well-organised 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 organisations 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 22,329 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 1,066 gram panchayats of the State have been targeted to be cured of malnutrition. Nearly 1,500 women self-help groups and 2,850 ‘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 19,378 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. To improve the nutritional status of mothers and children, a ‘Suposhan Chaupal’ will be organised at the Anganwadi centers of 17 'high burden districts' (with maximum malnourished children) of the State on every third Thursday of the month.
A circular has been issued by the Women and Child Development department in this regard to the Collectors and District Programme Officers of the concerned districts. Officials said that activities like ‘Godbharai’, ‘Annaprashan’, ‘Balbhoj’, etc would be undertaken in the ‘Suposhan Chaupal’.
The high burden districts identified by the Department include Balod, Bemetara, Baloda-Bazar, Bastar, Gariaband, Durg, Kabirdham, Mahasamund, Korba, Jashpur, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Kanker and Raipur.
According to the circular, the Central Government has directed to organise community based activities in Anganwadi centers to improve the nutrition of mothers and children under the ICDS Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) started by the Central government with help of World Bank.
By organising such programmes, the participation of community will increase under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and help in achieving the millennium development goal . The official said that for Godbharai programme at Anganwadi centre, the registered pregnant women, pregnant women with seven months pregnancy and one or two members of their family will be invited.
Similarly for Annaprashan, the children completing six months of age, children up to age of nine months registered with the anganwadi center, their parents and family members will be invited for participation in the programme. Besides this, the moderate and severely malnourished children, their parents, children targeted in ‘Sneh Shivir’ and ‘Nava Jatan’ scheme and medical officers will participate in the Suposhan Chaupal.
The participants will be welcomed and motivational song will be sung by the local heroes. The experiences mother in-law, ideal mothers, parents who have successfully cared their children from malnourished to nourished status etc would be made the chief guest of the programme, the officials said.
The gathering will be made aware of the importance of nutrition through these activities and discussions will also be held on the issues like care during pregnancy, nutritious food, malnutrition management quiz, etc. Information related to services and facilities provided under different government schemes like Sneh Shivir, Nava Jatan, Chief Minister Bal Sandarbh Yojna, Nutrition Rehabilitation Center etc will also be given to the participants during the Chaupal.
About 38 per cent of the 60,000 malnourished children targetted during the first and second phase of State government’s ‘Nav Jatan Yojana’ during 2012-14 have been cured within an action plan period of barely six months, officials informed. Moreover, since year 2009, malnutrition eradication programme is also underway in the State, under which ‘Mukhyamantri Bal Sandarbh Yojana’ is being implemented in the State to provide healthcare through home-based management and additional health services to children with critical malnutrition condition, they stated.