BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Tuesday announced an increase in the cost of nutritional support for severely underweight children, raising the daily allocation from Rs 14 to Rs 18 per child. Around 35,000 severely underweight children across the state are expected to benefit from the enhancement. Parida, who heads the Women and Child Development Department, said the daily cost of supplementary nutrition provided to severely underweight children aged between six months and six years has been increased from Rs 8 to Rs 12. In addition, Rs 6 per child per day is being provided under the Mukhyamantri Sampoorna Pushti Yojana, taking the total daily nutrition support to Rs 18 per child. Officials said the state government will bear an additional annual expenditure of approximately Rs 10.7 crore for the initiative. The Deputy Chief Minister also announced an enhancement in breakfast allocations for pre-school children aged 3-6 years attending Anganwadi centres. The daily breakfast allocation has been increased from Rs 1.24 to Rs 3.56 per child. The state government will incur an additional annual expenditure of approximately Rs 126.83 crore from its own budget towards the enhancement. Parida also launched a digital book in Odia explaining each stage of the first 1,000 days of a child's life and the care required during this period. She said the period from conception until a child's second birthday constitutes the most critical phase for a child's overall growth and development. The digital book has been designed to explain the importance of the first 1,000 days in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. According to Parida, Anganwadi workers will use the digital book during home visits to create awareness among beneficiaries. Efforts have also been made to disseminate the digital book through Anganwadi workers and social media platforms so that it reaches intended beneficiaries across the state. Parida appealed to parents and family members to read and apply the guidance provided in the digital book in their daily lives.
