M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Aug 11: A one-day training and workshop on the integrated nutrition supplement programme was held at the DRDA conference hall on Wednesday which went till late in the afternoon.
It was a divisional programme comprising district social welfare officers down to the child development project officers to lady supervisors of the three districts- Latehar, Garhwa and Palamu.
It was presided over by the Assistant Director of Social Welfare Department, Government of Jharkhand, Kanchan Singh.
The one-day training and workshop was aimed at capacity building of the fleet of the Aaganbadi Sevikas and Sahayikas for an integrated nutrition supplements programme.
Speaking to lagatar24.com, Kanchan Singh said the union ministry of woman and child development has restructured the integrated child development services and Poshan into the Saksham Aaganbadi and Poshan 2.0.
The assistant director of social welfare said this is a multi-ministerial initiative to overcome the challenges of malnutrition among pregnant women, lactating mothers, children and adolescent girls in the age group of 14 to 18.
The National Family Health Survey 5 in its 2019-21 has found glaring cases of malnutrition in Jharkhand.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren too in his speech at Latehar had said that 45 per cent of children here are malnourished.
The fatality rate of children under the age of 5 is 68 per cent read one government statement accessed by lagatar24.com.
Assistant Director Kanchan Singh said it is time now to go for proper surveillance and monitoring of the fight against malnutrition by way of an integrated nutrition supplements programme.
She said Poshan Tracker App has been introduced now. She conceded keeping the background from which our Sevikas and Sahayikas come from and the level of education that the majority of them have, understanding and handling the Poshan Tracker App may not be a very happy proposition for them all at once.
“It is good that we all do hand holding. We must keep updating them. Frequent updation is a must for Sevikas and Sahayikas as any attempt to sharpen their wit only once in a blue moon is not going to give any sustainable results,” agreed Kanchan Singh.
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Kanchan Singh has urged the workforce to do every bit of work like child attendance, the status of supplementary nutrition, measurement of height and weight of children, house visits, seeding of the Aadhar card etc in a professional manner.
A good performing Sevika and Sahayika stand a chance to grab incentives worth Rs 500 and Rs 250 respectively.
A few of the participants of the training cum workshop said the assistant director seemed a very down-to-earth officer who believes in work and results and does not take any jibe at anyone.
According to sources, the social welfare department of the Jharkhand government is toying with the idea of bringing out a digital magazine dedicated to the Poshan and drive against malnutrition.
Kanchan Singh said, “We are seriously contemplating this venture. We are set to have our digital magazine.”
“It will be a common man’s fight against malnutrition in his own thumb rule fashion. It can be through the local recipe for a nutritional diet. It can be through toys like clay toys and wooden toys. It can be one own narration of victory over the malnutrition,” explained Kanchan Singh.
“Our digital magazine will have all this to make the fight against malnutrition an Everyman effort not just of the government machinery,” reminded the assistant director.
The government of India has a tagline for the nutrition supplements which reads ‘Sahi Poshan, Desh Roshan’. However, the task is enormously challenging and the task is daunting said sources.
The one-day training cum workshop was attended by Renu Ravi (DSWO Latehar), Purnima Kumari (DSWO Garhwa), Archana Sinha (CDPO), Laxmi Bharti (CDPO), Anita Kumari(CDPO), Madhvesh (State Co-Ordinator, M Nayak (State UNICEF coordinator) and scores of others.
