The Chhattisgarh government is planning to issue new guidelines to all the     districts to ensure nutrition among teenage girls, pregnant women and children as part of the nutrition programmes post Covid-19.

R. Prasanna, Secretary, Women and Child Department, announced this at a media briefing during a webinar on nutrition on Tuesday.

He said that due to lockdown, the state government tried to ensure that dry ration reaches the children of Anganwadi, pregnant and lactating mothers through home delivery.

Asked about lack of Anganwadis in tribal and Naxalite areas, Prasanna said the government is considering the other option of ‘Phulwari’.

He said if it is a remote village having less population, an Anganwadi centre cannot be opened. In such cases, if a group of women having infants are ready, then sanction will be given for Phulwari.

The group will then     prepare hot food and serve it to all beneficiaries. All assistance will be extended to the group to ensure eradication of malnutrition in the village.

This is to ensure that nutrition reaches even the remotest areas, the official said.

Earlier, Job Zachariah, Chief of UNICEF office for Chhattisgarh, spoke on what the future will throw as a challenge on malnutrition in the state, impact on children and women during and post the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Farhat Saiyed, Nutrition Specialist in UNICEF Chhattisgarh, threw light on central and state    government nutrition schemes. She also briefed journalists on how to identify malnutrition, its various reasons and kinds as well as its effects on growth of children.