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.
Presently, the panchayat is providing kits with eggs, fruits and vegetables every week, while another package containing red poha, palm jaggery, cashew, sesame seeds, groundnut, dates and raisins is distributed every two months. “If an item or a particular fruit is missing, we opt for equally good substitutes. The food items were fixed after consulting health-care professionals,” he added.
Along with identifying pregnant women who are underweight and ensuring them a balanced diet, the project provides counselling sessions for mental health and regular check-ups to evaluate their weight.
“The kit has food items with the right amount of nutrients required in a pregnancy diet such as protein, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, carbohydrates and fibre. We are expecting to bring down pre-term births with this project and more beneficiaries will be identified soon,” said Mr. Pillai.
