Noticing an increasing number of pre-term births and babies with low birth weight, the Ithikkara block panchayat in Kollam has launched a programme to distribute free nutrition kits to pregnant women.
As part of the project, special food kits to meet the nutritional needs of expectant mothers will be provided in addition to items regularly distributed through anganwadis. Expectant mothers who are underweight are the beneficiaries, and the panchayat has already identified 23 women for this.
“We started the programme after conducting a survey in the block panchayat limits. We found many cases of pre-term births and most mothers are underweight. The project has been introduced to ensure a healthy diet for pregnant women whose body weight is less than 40 kg,” said president N. Sadanandan Pillai.
