UT Finance Dept approves Rs 5 cr for anganwadi centres

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 7

The Finance Department, Chandigarh, has approved a budget of Rs 5 crore to ensure that kids aged between six months to six years, pregnant and lactating mothers can be provided additional nutritional food, including eggs, banana and milk in 450 anganwadi centres.

The move is aimed at curbing malnutrition by offering additional nutrition over and above the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) provided to all the beneficiaries in the anganwadis.

The initiative was announced by UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore under the “Poshan Abhiyan”, at a state-level function held at Tagore Theatre on September 6.

Badnore also launched mission “Anemia free Chandigarh” under which a 6x6x6 strategy such as six beneficiaries, six interventions and six institutional services would be used. A special drive of T3 campaign would be carried (Test, Treat and Talk) by using digital hemoglobinometers.

BL Sharma, secretary, Social Welfare, said emphasis would be laid to promote breastfeeding, complementary feeding, antenatal and postnatal care, dietary diversity of mothers and children, anemia prevention, sanitation and hygiene and diarrhoea management.

Helpline number for pregnant women

• A toll-free Poshan helpline number 1800-1800-2244 was launched for pregnant/lactating women, children and adolescent girls of Chandigarh. This helpline would ensure timely home visits by anganwadi workers/ANMs for extending services at the door steps of beneficiaries