Odisha govt to extend malnutrition management programme to all districts

Bhubaneswar, June 3:

The Odisha government will extend its Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programme to all of the state’s 30 districts to reduce malnutrition-related complications among children, an official said on Saturday.

The programme has been a success in Kandhamal and Bolangir districts, said the official.

The state’s Empowered Committee meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi decided to expand the programme that entails cooperation between the Health and Women and Child Development departments, Unicef and Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives.

Social Welfare Department Director D. Prasant Kumar Reddy said children with acute malnutrition will be treated with Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and Energy Density Therapeutic Food (EDTF) through anganwadi centres.

Primarily, around 4,300 children have been identified to be suffering from acute malnutrition, he added.

Massive community awareness and mobilisation activities will be undertaken at the village/community level for the programme, he added.

The Odisha government has prioritised Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) reduction strategies through a multi-pronged converged model in which nutrition finds a prominent mention.

Around Rs 808.98 crore was earmarked for the supplementary nutrition programme in the annual programme implementation plan of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) for 2017-18.

The Chief Secretary also directed the Women and Child Welfare Department to strengthen the internal monitoring system and ensure 100 per cent flow of supplementary nutrition to the targeted group. (IANS)