Lucknow: On the initiative of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a campaign is being carried out to eradicate malnutrition from Uttar Pradesh. Under the campaign, while scores of malnourished children in the state are getting nutritious food, a large number of women associated with self-help groups in villages are being provided with employment. According to a spokesperson of the state government the Yogi Government has emerged as a messiah for both malnourished children and pregnant women amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The spokesperson said that on the instructions of CM Yogi, women members of self-help groups operating under the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihoods Mission are engaged in the drive to eradicate malnutrition from the state.  As many as 63,000 self-help groups of women are procuring and packaging dry ration consisting of wheat, rice, gram, pulses, and edible oil from Nafed in all the development blocks of 75 districts of the state. He said that dry rations are being distributed from 1,64,714 Anganwadicentres to a total of 1,47,99,150 beneficiaries including children aged six months to three years and three to six-year-old, pregnant and lactating women, malnourished children, and teenage girls. About 6,30,000 women have got employment through the dry ration project launched by the Government.

The State Government is also taking all necessary steps to improve the health of malnourished mothers, children and girls during the ongoing pandemic, he said adding that the Government has entrusted the Child Development Services and Nutrition Department with this important responsibility. Anganwadi workers and members of self-help groups have been engaged in the distribution of nutritious food to malnourished children and pregnant women while online monitoring of the distribution is also being done, he said.

3060 more women to get employment, income to increase

The spokesperson said that the UP Government is also setting up production units in altogether 204 development blocks of 43 districts of the state under the ‘Recipe for best take home ration’ scheme. Around 15 to 20 women will prepare the recipe and distribute it at Anganwadi centres. In the first phase of the scheme, a production unit was set up at Malwan, the development block of Fatehpur as well as Bighapur of Unnao. In the remaining 202 development blocks, a production unit is like to be set up soon. Each unit will employ 15 to 20 women with their number reaching 3060 and also increase their income, he said.