Mawkyrwat/Tura: As part of the observation of the Poshan Abhiyan month, the office of the Child Development Project Officer, Mawkyrwat in collaboration with line departments on Wednesday conducted a Poshan Mela cum healthy baby show under 1 year at the Community Hall, Mawkyrwat in which women, children and adolescent girls attended.
The programme was organised with a view to improve the coverage and
quality of essential nutrition in order to reduce stunting in children, under-nutrition, low birth weight and anaemia amongst children, women and adolescent girls.
Addressing the gathering, Block Development Officer, R. Kharbihkhiew, said that the programme aimed at reaching every household with the message of Nutrition (Har Ghar Poshan Tyohar (every house acelebration of nutrition). He also said that a balanced diet is very important for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children in order to protect them from anaemia which can further lead to premature-birth, low-birth weight, under-weight and impaired growth and development.
In Tura, a district level meeting on POSHAN Abhiyan was held at DRDA Conference Hall on Tuesday where West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh chaired the meeting.
During the meeting, the DC informed that as per the survey report, Meghalaya is one of the states along with Bihar and Jharkhand to be in the bottom line with regard to malnourished children.
He insisted on the need for convergence activities in order to focus on nutrition in all the programmes organised in the district in addition to various activities being held at the district level, blocks and villages at anganwadi centres.
Singh also informed that he would direct the medical department to issue iron folic tablets to all schools both government and private in Tura urban and other blocks in the district.
While presenting the Nutritional Status of West Garo Hills, Dr I M Sangma informed the detailed report of the status in the district wherein the percentage of malnourished children in Rongram C & RD Block is 18 per cent, Selsella is 17 per cent, Dalu is 25 per cent, Dadenggre is 11 per cent, Tikrikilla is 15 per cent, Gambegre is 16 per cent and Tura urban is 2 per cent.
She also mentioned that as per NFHS there are about 29 % underweight children in Meghalaya and IMR in West Garo Hills district is 432.
