Local nutrition-based diet helps Gadchiroli curb malnourishment in 5 months
Apr 21, 2022
Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) [India], April 21 : Gadchiroli, a tribal-dominated district in Maharashtra has set an example in the fight against malnutrition. With a special diet plan introduced by the district administration for children, Gadchiroli's severe malnourishment cases dipped by 50 per cent in just five months.
This special diet included vegetable khichdi, sprouts cutlet, tiranga paratha (made with wheat flour, beetroot, spinach and soybean flour), a dry chutney made with curry leaves, Mutthe (a cutlet made of rice, green gram and drumstick leaves), groundnut, jaggery, sesame laddu and "kadi patta shankarpali" (a snack made of curry leaves).
Anganwadi Sevikas prepare two types of fresh dishes every day and serve them to the children. This scheme is run with money from the finance commission given to the Gram Panchayats.
Gadchiroli Zilla Parishad introduced a special diet programme for malnourished children between the ages of six months and six years, and since then 3,794 malnourished children (of the 7,111 listed) have recovered in the district.
Due to poverty, most of the parents of Gadchiroli are not able to give nutritious food to their children, due to which malnutrition has become a big problem in the entire district.
Zilla Parishad CEO Kumar Ashirwad said in January 2021 and August 2021, he had surveyed about 90 thousand children coming to Anganwadi, out of which about 10 thousand children were selected for a special diet. Of which in five months, 3,109 children have come out of malnutrition.
Kumar Ashirvad said that after implementing this program, there is positive support from the parents. In the meetings held every month, the workers of Anganwadi give information to the mothers about proper nutrition.
Ashirvad added that a special diet will be provided to all the children.
Lalita Kedar, Anganwadi Sevika of Gondalwahi village of Naxal-affected Dhanora Tehsil, said, "Since the special diet stated, we have observed increase in body weight of the children, it is satisfactory.
According to Laita, with this effort soon the village will be free from malnutrition.
