Bhubaneswar: Odisha is committed to building a well-nourished state by strengthening nutrition programmes and ensuring greater participation of families in the care and development of children, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Tuesday.
Addressing the state-level celebration of ‘Angan Ka Utsav’ and the ninth Rashtriya Poshan Maah at an Anganwadi Centre in Baramunda here, Majhi said several initiatives were being implemented through Anganwadi centres and schools to improve the nutritional status of women and children.
He said the involvement of the entire family was important to further strengthen these initiatives, and called for greater participation of fathers and other family members, along with mothers, in ensuring proper nutrition, care and development of children.
“Through greater awareness and effective implementation of these programmes, Odisha will certainly emerge as a well-nourished state,” the chief minister said.
Majhi said more than 46 lakh activities were successfully conducted across the state during Poshan Maah (Nutrition Month), while Odisha has secured the first position in the country in Aadhaar verification.
Emphasising the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, he stressed the need for active participation of fathers and other family members in ensuring proper care and development during this crucial period.
The chief minister called upon people to extend their cooperation towards building a healthy, beautiful and ‘Viksit Odisha’ and reiterated the government’s commitment to creating a ‘Suposhit Odisha’.
Majhi also credited Anganwadi workers, Anganwadi helpers, auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) and ASHA workers for the improvement in child immunisation, the rise in institutional deliveries and the significant reduction in infant and maternal mortality in the state.
He said these frontline workers have been providing selfless service at the grassroots level and have played an important role in improving health indicators in Odisha.
Odisha was earlier among the states with the second-highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the country, but the state has now reached a satisfactory position on both indicators, the chief minister said.
Stating that development is impossible without the welfare of half of society’s population, Majhi highlighted several government initiatives aimed at empowering women, including the Subhadra Yojana, Lakhpati Didi, Mukhyamantri Kanya Bibaha Yojana and Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangla Yojana.
He said at least 40 per cent of the State Government’s total budget is being spent on women.
The chief minister also said quality education and healthcare have been made completely free in the state.
Education up to the postgraduate level has been made completely fee-free in government and government-aided educational institutions, he said.
He further said girl children covered under the relevant government initiative would receive financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh upon completion of their graduation.
In the healthcare sector, cashless treatment facilities are being provided at select private hospitals across the country under the Ayushman Bharat-Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana, Majhi said.
On the occasion, the chief minister distributed school kits to Anganwadi children and felicitated fathers for their participation in showcasing healthy food. Anganwadi workers, helpers and ASHA workers were also felicitated.
Majhi visited the Anganwadi Centre and reviewed the quality of the ‘Tiranga Thali’ and hot cooked meals being served to the children. He also served food to the children.
Deputy Chief Minister and Women and Child Development Minister Pravati Parida, Ekamra-Bhubaneswar MLA Babu Singh, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department Dr Mrinalini Darswal, Department Director Monisha Banerjee, along with other distinguished guests, Anganwadi workers, helpers, ASHA workers, children and their parents, were present at the event.
