Bhubaneswar: Odisha has been ranked 13th in the nation on the Poshan Tracker’s overall malnutrition index, with a total of 8,909 children aged 6 months to 5 years suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). This was stated by Women & Child Development Minister Pravati Parida in the state assembly on Saturday.
In response to a question from Brahmagiri (Puri) MLA Upasna Mohapatra, Minister Parida said that Mayurbhanj district tops the list with 818 SAM children, followed by Kalahandi (586), Ganjam (523), Balasore (520), Malkangiri (485), Sambalpur (465), Nabarangpur (433), and Sundergarh (350).
The Minister added that the state government has launched multiple initiatives to tackle malnutrition. Under the Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP), all children aged 6 months to 6 years registered at Anganwadi centers receive nutritious food for 25 days a month, totaling 300 days in a year. Children aged 6 months to 3 years are provided chhatua (fortified food), eggs, milk, and dry rations, while those who do not eat eggs receive additional laddus monthly.
Children aged 3 to 6 years are served cooked meals with water at Anganwadi centers in the mornings. Under the Mukhyamantri Sampoorna Pushti Yojana, SAM children aged 6 months to 5 years receive 100 grams of fortified chhatua and one egg daily for 112 days. Severely underweight (SUW) and moderately malnourished (MAM) children are given a mixture of gram flour, banana, and eggs for 75 days in a phased manner.
Additionally, under the POSHAN Program, children aged 3–6 years in remote villages who cannot attend Anganwadi centers are provided morning meals and water directly in their villages.
