Assam: District Rollout Meeting discusses measures to tackle child malnutrition

UDALGURI: A significant District Rollout Meeting was convened at the DC Conference Hall, DC Office, Udalguri, to address the pressing issue of child malnutrition in the region.

The meeting was organized as a result of the biparty Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Directorate of Women & Child Development, Government of Assam, and ITC Ltd. The MoU aims to tackle child malnutrition through targeted counselling at the home level, spanning a duration of two years from December 2022 to December 2024. The initiative will be rolled out in 7 aspirational districts and Kamrup (Rural), benefiting over 11.27 lakhs individuals.

The meeting witnessed active participation from key stakeholders, including Deputy Commissioner and Additional Deputy Commissioner of Udalguri, District Poshan Co-ordinator, CDPO, and representatives from various organizations. Sarfaraz Haque, ADC, welcomed attendees and introduced the project intervention to Deputy Commissioner.

Dr Sadnek Singh. Deputy Commissioner, delivered a keynote address, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts between the government and social organizations to eradicate malnutrition, particularly among children under the age of 2 years.

Dr Raman Nair, Programme Manager of YouthInvest Foundation (ITC Partner), provided an overview of the project and highlighted the challenges of child nutrition outcomes in Assam. He shared insights from a Training Need Assessment & Baseline Survey conducted by ITC Ltd, identifying the areas with the highest levels of malnutrition in the Udalguri district.

Dr Piyali Banerjee, Senior Program Officer at ITC Ltd, outlined the intervention strategy, focusing on targeted counselling during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life through Anganwadi home visits. The implementation process will involve cascading training and the use of various training toolkits to ensure the effectiveness of the intervention.

The meeting concluded with key takeaways, stressing the importance of coordination among government departments, the eradication of malnutrition, the need for grassroots awareness programs, and the motivation of ground-level implementing staff. It was agreed that ITC’s intervention should complement existing government efforts and that the schedules of Anganwadi Supervisor Training by ITC Ltd would be shared in the district.

The District Rollout Meeting signifies a collaborative stride towards a malnutrition-free future for the children of Udalguri. With joint efforts and a shared commitment, the initiative is set to bring positive change in feeding practices and cased based targeted counselling.

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