‘Angawadi staff told to monitor nutritional status of pregnant women regularly’

Medak: The Medak district Collector Dharma Reddy on Thursday reviewed the status of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) project in the district. 

Speaking at the meeting with ICDS project officers and Child Development Project Officers (CDPO) and Supervisors, He questioned the officials about the findings of malnutrition among pregnant women and 20 percent of delivery cases despite taking up provision of services comprising supplementary nutrition to them on regular basis. 

The Collector inquired the officials regarding above 400 children aged between 3 to 6 years who were found underweight though they were supplied ‘Balamrutham’ (a package of nutritional food) with regular health checkups and immunisation. 

Collector Dharma Reddy ordered the ICDS and CDPOs to monitor the nutritional status of the expectant mothers and lactating mothers regularly by educating them and infants and children aged below 6 years to zero the percentage of low birth weight babies, underweight children and pregnant women who are anaemic.  

The Infant Mortality Rate(IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in the district should be reduced to zero percent within the period of four months by taking it a challenge. Any laxity or negligence of the responsible persons will face the stringent actions, the Collector warned in the meeting where District Welfare Officer Jyothi Padma and ICDS staff were present.