SHILLONG: A state level review meeting to assess health and nutrition of children availing mid-day meal and supplementary nutrition in ICDS centre of the state was organised by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in collaboration with Meghalaya Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) on Monday.
Speaking to reporters, senior technical expert, NCPCR, Shaista K Shah said the meeting will assess whether workers and their families in tea gardens avail mid-day meal and other nutrition programme of the government and whether Anganwadi centres are present in the plantations and then give recommendations to the government.
She observed that though the state does not have many tea plantations, it is important to check whether the workers are availing government schemes. When asked, she said that Assam has a number of undernourished children followed by Meghalaya. She said that reduction in maternal mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) will help tackle nutrition problems as new-born babies will be checked whether they are getting facilities. Member secretary of SCPCR, ZJ Lyngdoh said Meghalaya, till date, has not mapped the tea plantation areas and there are mostly government-run small enterprises which have not grown like in Assam and said that mostly locals are mainly engaged in these adding there is no question of having migrant labourers/workers.
Lyngdoh said that the meeting will assess the health condition in tea plantations of the state to revive the implementation of mid-day meal and Supplementary Nutrition Programme. The meeting will also assess the gap in availability of government schemes to the children in tea plantation areas.
