The state government has extended the welfare programmes to 85 per cent of population which was not done by any state government in the country, claimed Agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy here on Thursday.
Woman and Child welfare department designed a new scheme to provide one full meal per day to all the pregnant women, lactating mothers and children who belong to the underprivildged communities and the programme was formally inaugurated by the minister at Kanteshwar in the town.
Addressing the meeting, he said with this programme the government is providing 40 per cent nutritious food to the pregnant women, lactating mothers and children. He said on the whole the government is providing this facility at 35,973 ICDS centres in the district and 2,811 centres are implementing the scheme. He advised the officials of Woman and Child Development department to conduct regular health checkups with all the beneficiaries. He said under Aasara social security, 2.13 lakh persons are being provided pensions. This is a continuous programme and officials will receive fresh applications and after inquiry they will sanction pension, he added. The government is now spending `4,000 crore and is ready to do more.
District collector D Ronald Rose said 50,000 pregnant women and lactating mothers and 1.35 lakh children will benefit. Woman and Child Welfare department joint director Rajya Laxmi said due to lack of nutritious food, 49 in every 1,000 new-born are dying every year.
Source: The New Indian Express