UP plans snacks for rural children

Currently,children in rural and poor areas are being given freshly cooked meal during the lunchtime. Seasonal vegetables,millet and rice preparations comprise the menu.

In its recent surveys,the department found nutrition deficiency among children was rampant despite the hot cooked meal scheme. A senior research officer of the department said,“We have found that often children,who were accompanied by their parents,did not consume the food then and there itself. They rather carried the food with themselves and the entire family ate it. And since the child once again was not getting complete nutrition,his or her health did not improve much. In a few cases,we even found that the food meant for the small child was given to elder children of the family.”

The department has already increased the expenditure per child from Rs 2 to Rs 4 and the total budget for the ICDS scheme from Rs 1,800 crore to Rs 2700 crore,out of which around Rs 300 crore will be spent on the new scheme.

Principal Secretary (women and child development) Amal Kumar Verma said,“Whether it is through the afternoon hot cooked meal or the morning snack,we will try to make sure that every undernourished child gets supplementary nutrition. As we finalise the menu,we will start it.”