Raipur, 17 August 2021. On the initiative of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to eradicate malnutrition, the statewide Mukhyamantri Suposhan Abhiyan started from October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in Chhattisgarh, has started getting good response. The integrated planning and coordinated efforts of various schemes along with the Chief Minister’s Suposhan Abhiyan have achieved great success in eradicating malnutrition among children. In the state as of January 2019, the number of malnourished children identified was 4 lakh 33 thousand 541, out of which in the situation of May 2021, about one third 32 percent i.e. one lakh 40 thousand 556 children have become free from malnutrition. Which is a major achievement in the war started against malnutrition. The rate of malnutrition has come down significantly in a very short span of time, thanks to the efficient leadership and visionary thinking of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
After the formation of the new government in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Mr. Baghel started the campaign to make the state free from malnutrition and anemia in view of the rate of malnutrition and anemia among women and children in the data of National Family Health Survey-4. According to National Family Survey-4, 37.7 percent children below 5 years of age in the state were suffering from malnutrition and 47 percent women in the age group of 15 to 49 years were suffering from anemia. Looking at these figures, most of the malnourished children were children from tribal and remote forest areas. The state government took this as a challenge and started the Chief Minister’s Nutrition Campaign in the entire state from the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with the concept of ‘Malnutrition Free Chhattisgarh’. To make the campaign a success, the cooperation of the public was also taken in it.
Suposhan Abhiyan was started as a pilot project in some gram panchayats of Vananchal including Naxal-affected Bastar of the state. This was carried forward through innovative programs like hot nutritious food through Panchayats in Dantewada district and ‘Laika Jatan Thaur’ in Dhamtari district. Arrangements were made to provide hot food under Suposhan Abhiyan by making better use of District Mineral Trust fund. Seeing the success of the scheme, Chief Minister Shri Baghel implemented it in the entire state. Under this campaign, in addition to the supplementary nutritional food given to the identified children at the Anganwadi center, arrangements have been made for free nutritious food at the local level and hot nutritious food to the malnourished women and children. In the extra nutritional diet, with hot food, eggs, laddoos, gram, jaggery, sprouted grains, milk, fruits, groundnut and jaggery chikki, soya big, porridge, Nutritious and tasty food made from soya chikki and munga bhaji is being provided. This has aroused interest in food in children. There has also been an increased awareness of locally available vegetables and nutritious items. Due to this the nutritional level has started improving. In collaboration with the health department, iron folic acid, anthelmintic tablets are given to the anemia affected. With the goal of making the state free from malnutrition in the next three years, coordinated efforts are being made continuously by the Department of Women and Child Development, Health Department and other departments. An anthelmintic tablet is given. With the goal of making the state free from malnutrition in the next three years, coordinated efforts are being made continuously by the Department of Women and Child Development, Health Department and other departments. An anthelmintic tablet is given. With the goal of making the state free from malnutrition in the next three years, coordinated efforts are being made continuously by the Department of Women and Child Development, Health Department and other departments.
In order to maintain the nutritional level of children and women, despite the closure of all Anganwadi and Mini Anganwadi centers in times of Corona Virus (Kovid-19) crisis, through Anganwadi workers and assistants, about 51 thousand 455 Anganwadi centers of the state Door to door distribution of ready-to-eat nutritious food was ensured to 28 lakh 78 thousand beneficiaries. Under the Supplementary Nutrition Food Programme, ready-to-eat is being distributed to children in the age group of 6 months to 6 years, pregnant, lactating women and adolescent girls. Anganwadi has been opened with the consent of the public representatives and parents at infection-free places in the state to maintain the victory over malnutrition and to prevent the impact of corona on the health of children. Where arrangements have been made to provide hot food to the beneficiaries under the Chief Minister’s Nutrition Campaign with the arrangement of security.
Under the Mukhyamantri Suposhan Abhiyan, the status of children who have become malnourished district-wise as of May 2021 is as follows. In Balod district, 12 thousand 481 children were identified as of January 2019, out of which 1402 children have been freed from malnutrition. Similarly, 6032 children out of 30 thousand 917 in Balodabazar, 14 thousand 106 children out of 27 thousand 352 in Balrampur-Ramanujganj district, 3633 children out of 15 thousand 753 in Bastar, 354 children out of 12 thousand 429 in Bemetar, 12 thousand in Bijapur. 3993 out of 429 children, 8492 out of 29 thousand 354 in Bilaspur, 2168 out of 8115 in Dantewada, 605 out of 7144 in Dhamtari, 6983 out of 12 thousand 810 in Durg, 11 out of 658 in Gariaband 5173 children and out of 17 thousand 869 malnourished children identified in Janjgir-Champa district, 8463 children were freed from malnutrition.
Similarly, in Jashpur district, 5784 out of 15 thousand 341 children, in Kanker 7022 out of 9038, 3011 out of 13 thousand 146 in Kabirdham, 1447 out of 14 thousand 47 in Kondagaon, 2473 out of 17 thousand 965 in Korba. , 2696 out of 7850 children in Korea, 1473 out of 19 thousand 153 in Mahasamund, 648 out of 10 thousand 242 in Mungeli, 1622 out of 3626 in Narayanpur, 16 thousand 358 out of 24 thousand 41 in Raigarh, Raipur 8323 children out of 25 thousand 456 in Rajnandgaon, 10 thousand 97 children out of 28 thousand 386 in Surguja, 7009 children out of 19 thousand 273 in Surguja, 3332 children out of 6486 in Sukma and 23 thousand 716 out of identified malnourished children in Surajpur district 7857 children were freed from malnutrition.
