Hingoli plan to be replicated by zilla parishad

Free transport for pregnant women,encouraging them to give birth at hospitals and setting aside 100 anaemia tablets for three months for adolescent girls in schools.

Free transport for pregnant women,encouraging them to give birth at hospitals and setting aside 100 anaemia tablets for three months for adolescent girls in schools. These are the plans chalked out by the new CEO of the Pune zilla parishad,Sanjeev Kumar,to replicate his Hingoli experience in Pune district.

Kumar,who is a doctor,hails from Jammu and is a 1993-batch IAS officer. He worked as assistant collector in Jalna and was CEO of the Hingoli zilla parishad before taking up the new post in Pune.

Speaking to this paper,Kumar said he had initiated a number of projects in Hingoli district which has five talukas and a population of 10 lakh. Health issues were top priority and to step up the number of institutional deliveries,Kumar introduced a project that had ambulances parked at a two-acre plot at a central place.

A helpline was provided and pregnant women had to simply call for the vehicle to be ferried to the nearest primary health centre for the delivery.

Four to five women were transported daily and the institutional delivery rate went up from 40 to 70 per cent in Hingoli district.

The project fetched a good response and after discussing the scheme with health officials in the Zilla Parishad,Kumar wants to introduce the scheme in Pune district. He aims at achieving the target of cent per cent institutional deliveries by 2012.

The thrust will be on peoples participation also in programmes like tackling malnutrition and anaemia.

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The anaemia rate in Pune district is 58 per cent and the emphasis is on ante-natal women. We are working out the feasibility of introducing 100 tablets for three months for adolescents at zilla parishad schools, says Dr H H Chavan,district health officer.

Chavan added that discussions are under way with the new CEO on the latters ideas and plans for upgrading the health status of Pune district.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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