Mumbai, March 18 Maharashtra Women and Child Welfare Minister Aditi Tatkare on Tuesday launched the Suposhit Mumbai Abhiyan and Urban Child Development Centre Scheme to bring malnourished children in urban areas into the normal category.
The centres, established under the Urban Child Development scheme, will be highly beneficial in ensuring proper nutrition for mothers and children right from pregnancy up to the first 1,000 days of life, she said.
The Suposhit Mumbai Abhiyan and Urban Child Development Centre Scheme were inaugurated by Minister Tatkare at Anganwadi No 51, Colaba.
While addressing the gathering, she emphasised the importance of proper nutrition for mothers and children.
The minister stated that since 2018, the Village Child Development Center Scheme has been implemented in rural and tribal Anganwadi centres to bring malnourished children into the normal category. This scheme has shown a positive impact on children's health by providing them with proper nutrition at the right age.
Based on this successful model, the Suposhit Mumbai Abhiyan and Urban Child Development Center Scheme are being implemented to reduce the malnutrition rate among children in Mumbai and suburban areas.
She further highlighted that the first 1,000 days, are crucial for the physical and intellectual development of a child. Therefore, mothers and children must receive proper nutrition during this period. Through these Urban Child Development Centres, guidance will also be provided to address both malnutrition and obesity among children, she added.
The minister also stressed the need to increase the number of Anganwadis in urban areas according to the growing population, ensuring that no child is deprived of the benefits of the newly launched schemes.
She directed the concerned officials to ensure proper planning and implementation of these initiatives.
Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) Commissioner Kailas Pagare provided details on the plan to reduce malnutrition among children and ensure proper diet for mothers and children during pregnancy and the first two years of life.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor