Anaemic pregnant tribal women to get nutritional kits in Srikakulam of Andhra Pradesh

About 9,600 pregnant women out of the total 22,000 in the district are anaemic.

SRIKAKULAM: In an attempt to eliminate anaemic problems among the women in tribal areas, the government is mulling implementing Bala Sanjeevini programme. About 9,600 pregnant women out of the total 22,000 in the district are anaemic. Majority of the victims are said to be from tribal areas.

Under the Bala Sanjeevini programme, nutrition kits will to be supplied to the pregnant and lactating women in tribal areas to ensue increase of haemoglobin levels among the targeted women. In addition to the existing nutritional supplement programmes being executed by the ICDS, Bala Sanjeevini programme is designed exclusively for tribal women. The programme will be implemented in villages with more than 75 per cent of SC, ST women.  

It was learnt from a survey conducted by medical authorities that more than 60 per cent of the women in the tribal areas and more than 80 per cent of pregnant and lactating mothers suffered from anaemia. Under the programme, kits, comprising nutritional food supplements, would be supplied to the pregnant and lactating women in the tribal areas by the anganwadi workers, said an official.

“We are on the job to identify the villages suggested in the guidelines and also planning to form committees for implementing the programme,” said CH Jhansi, the Srikakulam ICDS nodal officer. The contents of the kits are yet to be finalised. The related committees and officials, preferably of ITDA will finalise it, she said.

For record, under the Nandi programme - the brainchild of district collector K Dhananjaya Reddy - which is being implemented exclusively in the district, the nutritional supplements, such as sesame laddu, ragi laddu, jaggery and iron tablets are being distributed among the pregnant women and lactating mothers to eradicate anaemia. However, with the implementation of the Bala Sanjeevini programme tribal women would get additional supplements, she said. The programme would be launched very soon, said officer.

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