Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be visiting Gujarat on June 18 where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of various projects worth over Rs 21,000 crore during the ‘Gujarat Gaurav Abhiyan’ programme to be held in Vadodara.
During the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also launch the state-wide ‘Mukhyamantri Matrushakti Yojana’ (MMY). This scheme by the Government of Gujarat is aimed towards providing nutritious food to pregnant and lactating mothers during initial 1,000 days along with their new born child to improve the nutritional status of both. Simultaneously, ‘Poshan Sudha Yojana’ will be launched in all the tribal talukas of the state and the women of the tribal areas will be covered under the benefits of this scheme.
What is Mukhyamantri Matrushakti Yojana?
Malnutrition and Anaemia during pregnancy can hinder the development of the fetus, leading to poor health of the new born child. For a woman, from the days she conceives till the 270th day, and for child from conception till the first two years or 730 days, this total period of total 1,000 days is very crucial for their development and called as the ‘first window of opportunity’ to strengthen their nutritional level. Acknowledging the importance of this matter, Central Government’s ‘Poshan Abhiyan’ also calls for critical interventions in these 1,000 days. Providing essential services including proper food with proteins, fats, as well as other micronutrients is important during this stage. With this in mind, the Government of Gujarat has approved ‘Mukhyamantri Matrushakti Yojana’ for providing nutritious food to pregnant and lactating mothers during the first 1,000 days.
In the year 2022-23, all the pregnant and lactating women along with those beneficiaries registered as pregnant or as a mother of child up to 2 years in the software of the Health Department from birth can avail the benefits of this scheme. Under this scheme, every beneficiary will recieve two kg of chickpeas, one kg of Tuvar dal and one litre of groundnut oil from the Anganwadi Centres every month.
The state government has allocated a budget of Rs 811 crore for this scheme this year and will make a provision of Rs 4,000 crore in the next five years.
This scheme will improve the nutritional status of mother and child, and also reduce the cases of stunting and premature deliveries. Maternal Mortality Rates and Infant Mortality Rates will also be reduced.
Launch of Poshan Sudha Yojana in tribal talukas
The days of pregnancy and breastfeeding are very important in a woman’s life. Maternal nutrition is important pre-conception as well as after the child is born. To fulfil this requirement, the state government on a pilot basis implemented the ‘Poshan Sudha Yojana’ in 10 talukas of five districts (Dahod, Valsad, Mahisagar, Chhota Udepur and Narmada) in tribal areas of Gujarat. After its success, the government is expanding the scheme in a total 14 tribal districts comprising 106 talukas.
Under this scheme, pregnant and lactating mothers registered at Anganwadi are provided with a one-time full nutritious meal. In addition, iron and calcium tablets as well as education on health and nutrition is also offered. A special mobile application has also been created to monitor and review of the scheme.
A provision of Rs 118 crore has been set aside for this scheme for the ongoing year, under which an estimated 1.36 lakh beneficiaries will be covered every month.
