Chandigarh, Aug 18 (PTI) The Haryana government will launch a special campaign aimed at improving the health of malnourished children in the state, an official said on Friday.
Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal on Friday said this initiative will focus on addressing factors such as underweight and stunted growth that impact the lives of children from birth till the age of 6 years.
The goal is to overcome these factors by 2026 and promote the overall health of children and women, he said during a meeting here.
Kaushal stressed the importance of conducting a survey to gauge the extent of improvement in malnutrition and anaemia among women and children.
He called for presenting meaningful results of the government’s six-month nutrition campaign to identify any shortcomings and enhance its effectiveness.
Kaushal asked the officers to form a dedicated team to execute this survey campaign, with the aim of eradicating malnutrition and anaemia among women and children.
The state government will introduce a spirulina-based product under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) for children with severe acute malnutrition and moderate degree of malnutrition on a pilot basis in Mewat for a duration of six months, Kaushal said in a statement.
Spirulina, an algae that grows in fresh or saltwater, is rich in nutrients and possesses antioxidant properties, the statement said.
Kaushal outlined three nutrition-rich programmes that will be implemented across all blocks of the aspirational district Nuh under Nutrition Campaign-2.
Nutritional support in the form of ready-to-eat food items, nutritional packets, and antioxidant-rich foods will be provided to children and women in all blocks of the Nuh district.
The Women and Child Development Department will provide peanut mix under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to malnourished children on a pilot basis in the Nuh district for a duration of six months.
Kaushal said that the state government will create a special task force to raise awareness in the community about the services offered by Anganwadi centres.
The members of this task force will focus on malnourished children and pregnant women. They will organise focused home visits and ensure the utilisation of Take-Home Rations (THR) received from Anganwadi centres by beneficiaries. PTI SUN NB
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