Sundargarh: The administration has introduced two new programmes through ICDS to help enhance the nutrition of children in the tribal dominated district.
Under the programmes, ‘Spirulina Chikki’ and ‘Ragi Laddu’ will be distributed through the Anganwadi Centres to the children. “The pilot programme, financially supported by District Mineral Foundation (DMF), Sundargarh, will definitely ensure the nutritional demand of children in the area,” said Minister for Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti Tukuni Sahu after launching the programmes here.
“Spirulina and ragi are rich in nutrients. Under the pilot programme, Ragi Laddu has been introduced in Hemgiri block and Spirulina Chikki in Lephripada block. It will address health issues such as malnutrition, weight loss, and lack of growth in children. The program will be extended to other blocks after receiving feedback from children and their parents,” said district collector Nikhil Pavan Kalyan.
He further said the state government has signed an MoU with the Centre for Nutrition in Mysore for technical support on Spirulina. After long research, spirulina has been added as a supplement to food. The target is also to cultivate spirulina in Sundargarh in the coming days, he added.
ADM Narasingh Charan Swain, Sub-Collector Abhimanyu Behera, Project Director DRDA Bhairab Singh Patel, Sundargarh SP Sagarika Nath, DSWO Prativa Das, Chief District Agriculture Officer Laxmi Narayan Dash, District Coordinator (WASSAN) Arpan Das and other key officials of the district and DMF were present.
