C'garh gains major success in fight against malnutrition: Govt

Chhattisgarh has garnered significant success in the battle against malnutrition within just five years. In this campaign against malnutrition, the State has been getting promising results, officials informed.

Nearly 50,000 anganwadi centres are providing services such as nutritious food distribution and vaccination, and 'Vazan Tyohar' is being celebrated every year since last five years as a result of which there has been nearly 10 per cent decline in the malnutrition rate of children of age group 0-5 years.

‘Vazan Tyohar’ is being celebrated in aanganwadi centres from year 2012.

It is noteworthy that in year 2012, nine new districts were formed in the State, raising the total number of districts in the State to 27. As per the average statistics of all the 27 districts of State, the malnutrition level in State has consistently declined from 40.05 per cent in 2012 to 36.89 per cent in 2013, to 32.16 per cent in year 2014, 29.87 per cent in year 2015 and 30.13 per cent in year 2016.

Meanwhile, State Government's Women and Child Development Department had launched Mukhyamantri Suposhan Mission for malnutrition eradication. Tag line of this mission is ‘Sankalp Suposhan’. For effective execution of the mission, a State-level Observation Committee chaired by Chief Secretary and State-level execution committee chaired by Women and Child Development Department Secretary has been constituted.

Chief Minister Raman Singh said that in this campaign against malnutrition, Women and Child Development Department has performed commendably. As per Department Minister  Ramsheela Sahu, her department has chosen community-based activities to commence Mukhyamantri Suposhan Mission.

Women and Child Development Officials informed that under this campaign, their department collaborated with various schemes of agriculture department, health department, education department, Clean India Mission, food department, panchayat and rural development department and urban administration department, to make consolidated efforts for improving health of children, mothers and teenage girls. In collaboration with these departments, nutrition-based farming is being encouraged.

According to the officers, the department is emphasising on nutrition literacy to create awareness about local society about malnutrition. Women and Child Development Department has linked its various schemes with Mukhyamantri Suposhan Mission. Under Mahtari Jatan Yojana, pregnant women are being provided freshly cooked nutritious food six days a week and under Mukhyamantri Amrit Yojana, these centres provide nutritious and flavored milk for children. Health Department organises vaccination programme, mother and child protection programme, health protection month etc. Folic acid tablets are distributed to eradicate iron deficiency in mothers. Education Department is also contributing in curing malnutrition in teenage girls.

Officials informed - with participation of local community, ‘Vazan Tyohar’ is celebrated every year in the month of August-September, at Aanganwadi-level. Under this mission, Aanganwadi mitra are also being appointed. Interested citizens, social welfare organisations, public representatives, Government employees and industrial organizations are being encouraged to adopt atleast one Aanganwadi centre as Anganwadi mitra. Each Aanganwadi mitra will have tenure of three years, during which they will look after infrastructure development and take measures to reduce malnutrition in the adopted Aanganwadi centre. After commencement of annual celebration of Vazan Tyoyar since year 2012 for children of age group 0-5 years, malnutrition rate has decreased in all 27 districts of State in last five years, but the success of nine newly-constituted districts in terms of decline in malnutrition level is significant.

In these districts formed in year 2012, malnutrition level in Balod district has decreased from 44.48 per cent to 24.29 per cent, Balodabazar-Bhatapara district from 40.84 per cent to 31.80 per cent, Balrampur-Ramanujganj district from 40.50 per cent to 31.20 per cent, Bemetara from 41.53 per cent to 29.10 per cent, Gariaband district from 45.89 per cent to 36.08 per cent, Kondagaon district from 50.69 per cent to 41.71 per cent, Surajpur district from 36.97 per cent to 32.10 per cent, Mungeli district from 40.56 per cent to 21.50 per cent and malnutrition level in Sukma district has decreased from 42.48 per cent to 38.61%.

In the years, old districts of the State have also got commendable success in terms of malnutrition eradication. In the span from year 2012-2016, Malnutrition level in various districts has declined as follows — Bastar district from 45.33 per cent to 40.77 per cent, Bijapur district from 42.60 per cent to 39.92 per cent, Bilaspur district from 37.33 per cent to 26.59 per cent, Dantewada district 43.09 per cent to 38.02 per cent, Dhamtari district 25.60 per cent to 23.82 per cent, Durg district 39.28 per cent to 24.78 per cent, Janjgir-Champa district 35.85 per cent to 27.39 per cent, Jashpur district 40.64 per cent to 32.21 per cent, Kanker district 42.42 per cent to 33.28 per cent, Kabeerdham district 40.68 per cent to 28.56 per cent, Korba district 35.61 per cent to 25.46 per cent, Koriya district 35.31 per cent to 28.01 per cent, Mahasamund district 45.82 per cent to 33.18 per cent, Koriya district 35.31 per cent to 28.01 per cent, Narayanpur district 44.01 per cent to 39.23 per cent, Raigarh district 40.36 perc cent to 27.92 per cent, Raipur district 39.82 per cent to 27.98 per cent, Rajnandgaon district 45.53 per cent to 34.13 per cent and Sarguja district 38.03 per cent to 31.01 per cent.

As a result of the awareness campaign being conducted regularly, institutional deliveries in state have increased by nearly 55.9 per cent.

In year 2005-06, Institutional delivery rate in Government hospitals was 14.3 per cent, which has increased to 70.2 per cent in year 2015-16.