Odisha All Set To Contain Malnutrition & Stunting

Bhubaneswar: Armed with a separate nutrition budget, Odisha will be able to contain malnutrition and stunting in near future, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

Addressing a National Conclave on Childhood Stunting in India, the Chief Secretary said Odisha is the first state to introduce a separate nutrition budget and the government is now spending on social sector targeting health, education, nutrition and sanitation.

With around 96.5 lakh families covered under food security programme, 75 000 Anganwadi centres are actively involved in supplementary nutrition and take home ration being undertaken through women Self Help Groups (WSHGs), he said.

Midday meals (MDM) are also being served in 55000 schools with active participation of WSHGs, Ahara Kendras in urban bodies, fortified rice and millets are being introduced in PDS and supplementary nutrition, Mahapatra said, adding that Odisha is all set for targeted reduction in stunting and malnutrition.

Further, around cent percent of “MDM cooking and feeding is being done through WSHGs”. The household level data collection on “malnutrition and stunting is being done through a robust and reliable method” with regular checkup at AWC level, he said.

With all these, Odisha is now ready to have an aggressive target for reduction of malnutrition and stunting which would be possible to achieve in coming few years, the Chief Secretary said.

Terming the problem of stunting and malnutrition as multi dimensional, Mahapatra said it would need a holistic action plan with and concerted efforts among various departments.

Joining the conclave as guests of honour, Secretary, Women and Child Development Subha Sharma, Nutrition Chief of UNICEF Arjan de Wagt, Nutrition Expert Prof Srinath Reddy, and Chairperson Odisha State Food Security Commission Pramod Kumar Merkap highlighted various contours of malnutrition and child stunting.

They threw light on hereditary, hormonal, regional, climatic and socio-economic correlates of the problem.

The Chief Secretary said the government would provide all financial and administrative support for concrete suggestions that would emerge from the deliberations in this national seminar.

Mahapatra opened a study report on ‘Covid-19 and Nutrition in Odisha- What does the Future hold’. The Study was conducted by UNICEF with support from Odisha government.

The Conclave was held under the joint aegis of International and Food Policy Research Institute,  government of Odisha,  World Bank and UNICEF.