As the year 2014 comes to an end, the Chhattisgarh Government is already on its way to developing scores of Anganbadi centres across the rural landscape as an ‘effective centres of health and nutrition for villages’, officials stated.
As a consequence, the working time of Anganbadi centres have already been increased from 4 hours to 6 hours, besides other steps taken such as improvement in quality of education imparted at Anganbadi centres, every second Wednesday of a month observed as ‘Early Childhood Care and Education Day’ and improvement in services provided through Anganbadi centres, etc.
Moreover, in a bid to strengthen the child protection system of the State and to make children of Chhattisgarh healthy and well-nourished, several schemes including integrated child protection scheme, ‘Mukhymantri Bal Sandarbh Yojana and Nava Jatan Yojana’ are being operated. Consistent efforts of the Chhattisgarh Government have significantly brought down the level of malnutrition, officials claimed. As per the data collected in ‘Vazan Tyohar’ (Weighing Festival) of year 2014, level of malnutrition in the State has declined to 33 per cent.
As per the National Family Health Survey, malnutrition in state was 52 per cent in year 2005-06. In this way, level of malnutrition has decreased by nearly 19 per cent in last seven and a half year, they stated. It is the health condition of women and children that determines the health of a society. This is the reason why State Government’s Women and Child Development Department is operating Anganbadi centres in far-flung areas of the State so as to provide better health and nutrition facility to women and children there, officials stated.
It is noteworthy that in the tribal populated hilly and forested areas of the State, where it is not possible to open Anganbadi centres as per the population norms of Central Government, the State government is operating 285 phulwari centres in such 14 ‘Integrated Action Programme’ (IAP) districts to provide health and nutrition services similar to that of an Anganbadi centre. In year 2003, the number of beneficiaries of Anganbadi centres was nearly 13.5 lakh, which has increased significantly to 25.49 lakhs at present, they stated As many as 1600 Anganwadi centers without buildings would also have their own buildings in Chhattisgarh.
The assurance was provided by Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi to Chhattisgarh Women and Child Development Minister Ramsheela Sahu in New Delhi last month. According to officials, Sahu had met Maneka Gandhi in New Delhi and raised the pending issues of the State related to Women and Child Development Department.She had informed the Union Minister that the State has not received any amount under different heads in the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
Sahu said that malnutrition rate has been brought down due to effective implementation of schemes like ‘Mukhyamantri Bal Sandarbh Yojna’, Ready-to-Eat scheme and nutritious diet plan in the State. She said that Chhattisgarh is the first State to provide nutritious diet food to girls in the age group of 11-18 years. Sahu said that the State has demanded Rs 22.11 crores from Central government for purchase of electronic weighing machines for 38,000 Anganwadi centers of the State.
The State has also requested the Central Government for approving the construction of Nirbhaya centers in all 27 districts.The State government has even hiked budget of Woman and Child Development Department by 20 per cent as compared to last year. In the current year, `1601.74 Cr has been sanctioned for the Department. Officials informed that between 2001 and 2004 , the State had 21,125 Anganwadi centers which by 2014 have reached 50,311 registering growth of 21,186 centers. This includes 43,763 Anganwadis and 6,548 mini Anganwadis. Earlier between 2001 and 2004 Chhattisgarh had only 863 Anganwadis which by 2014 has reached 6,548, they said.
In Anganwadis of all 27 districts, through 220 different projects being run under Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), 20.55 lakh children and their mothers/pregnant woman are being provided with nutritious food, officials said.These projects include 121 in tribal areas and 84 in rural regions. For urban areas 15 Integrated Child Development Program are being run. These projects have started yielding good results, officials claim.
According to officials, in year 2006 the infant mortality rate (IMR) was 61 in every 1,000 live births which by 2013 reached 47. Similarly, the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in 1999-2001 was 407 per 1 lakh deliveries which by 2012-13 reached 230 per 1 lakh deliveries. Between 2005 and 2006, the malnutrition rate was 47 per cent which by 2914 has been reduced to 32.51 per cent.Officials further informed that Ready-to-Eat food for these Anganwadi centers are being prepared and supplied by 1,568 women self help groups.
In Anganwadis of all 27 districts, through 220 different projects being run under Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), 20.55 lakh children and their mothers and pregnant woman are being provided with nutritious food, officials said. These projects include 121 in tribal areas and 84 in rural regions. For urban areas 15 Integrated Child Development Program are being run. These projects have started yielding good results, officials claim.
In August this year, the Chhattisgarh government took upon itself the challenging task of eradicating malnutrition among children below 3 years of age across the State.Notably, in Chhattisgarh, 37.2 per cent of the children below 5 years of age are suffering from malnutrition.The State government has taken it as a challenge, and has chalked out an elaborate plan to eradicate malnutrition with the help of Anganwadi as well Phulwari centres, officials informed.
According to the United Nations Millennium Development goals, level of malnutrition in any nation or State should not be more than 28 per cent, and this has to be continuously decreased further. Officials informed that it is the first scheme of its kind in the nation, under which Phulwari centres have been opened with the help of Gram Panchayats and Mitanins of Health Department in Chhattisgarh. In these centres, children are served nutritious meals three times a day. No government employee or worker has been appointed in these centres.
Instead, mothers of the children enrolled in Phulwari themselves attend the children and serve meal to them turn by turn. Provision has been made to enroll minimum 5 children and maximum 20 children in every Phulwari Centre. As per the announcement of Chief Minister Raman Singh, ‘Phulwari Centres’ have already been started in 85 tribal populated development blocks of Chhattisgarh. The scheme has been formulated particularly to save children below 3 years of age from malnutrition and to improve their health.Panchayat and Rural Development Department officials informed on Monday that the most important feature of this scheme is public participation, especially participation of mothers of such children.
As per the plan, 2,850 Phulwari centres are to be opened in the development blocks of 19 out of 27 districts of the State. Against this target, 2,733 centres have already been opened, where 40,000 children and 17,000 pregnant and lactating mothers are availing regular supply of balanced, hot-cooked and fresh nutritious meal everyday.
Chief Minister Raman Singh had announced the scheme of opening Pulwari centres in 85 tribal populated blocks of the State. Within one-and-a-half years of his announcement, Panchayat and Rural Development Department has started opening Phulwari Centres in the development blocks concerned in a schematic manner. The remaining 117 Phulwari Centres will also be opened soon. This scheme of the State government is being recognized at a national level. The Central government’s Centre for Innovation in Public Systems in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) presented this scheme as the Best Innovative Activity in India, at its Foundation Day Function organized on May 14, 2014.
In this function, Chhattisgarh Government’s Panchayat Department was also invited. According to the officials, this scheme was started in Surguja district in August32012 on an experimental basis. On the initiative of District Panchayat, 300 Phulwari centres were started. Considering the success of this experiment, the Chief Minister announced implementation of this scheme in all 85 tribal populated development block of the State.
After the commencement of the scheme, experts from Pandit Jawahar lal Nehru Allopathic Medical College conducted a study in association with UNICEF, and findings of this study have shown commendable success of this scheme. Within one year of enrolling at Phulwari Centres, the children underwent a decline in their malnutrition level from 45 per cent to 30 per cent and their health conditions have also improved.
