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CM launches ‘Hot Cooked Meal Scheme’ for children at Anganwadi centers
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has launched the 'Hot Cooked Meal Scheme' in Uttar Pradesh, providing nutritious meals to children aged 3 to 6 years at Anganwadis. The initiative aims to provide 70 grams of food grains per beneficiary per day in the form of hot-cooked meals. Adityanath also laid the foundation stone for 3,401 Anganwadi centers and inaugurated a transit hostel for police personnel. He emphasized the importance of inter-departmental coordination in implementing schemes and stated that the initiative would benefit 80 lakh children.
Stating that well-nourished and healthy children would make a stronger India, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday launched a new scheme to provide nutritious meals to children aged 3 to 6 years at Anganwadis in the state.
The CM inaugurated the ‘Hot Cooked Meal Scheme’, launched on the lines of Midday Meals, at the composite school in Ayodhya Police Lines. He visited classrooms, interacted with children there, and inquired about their education and school uniforms. He then served food to the children.
The initiative involves providing 70 grams of food grains per beneficiary per day in the form of hot-cooked meals to children.
As per the guidelines, workers and helpers of Anganwadi centers, as well as of the kitchens of primary and upper primary schools, have been instructed to work together to prepare meals and serve them to children.
Adityanath also laid the foundation stone of 3,401 Anganwadi centers in 35 districts to be built at an estimated ₹403 crore. Additionally, he inaugurated a transit hostel for police personnel at Ayodhya Reserve Police Lines.
In his address, the CM said the initiative to serve hot meals, with different food items on different days, to children would progress with the mutual coordination of various departments.
Speaking about the successful eradication of encephalitis in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the CM stated that due to inter-departmental coordination, the disease, which claimed the lives of 50,000 children in 40 years, was brought under control in four years. “Therefore, it becomes essential that schemes be implemented through inter-departmental coordination,” he added.
The CM said that there were about 1.90 lakh Anganwadi centers in the state with more than two crore registered beneficiaries. The Hot Cooked Meal Scheme would benefit 80 lakh children aged 3 to 6 years, he added
Addressing Anganwadi workers and helpers present at the programme, Adityanath remarked: “Children are a form of God. You are fortunate because like Yashoda in the Dwapara Yuga, who nurtured Krishna in his childhood, you are serving and taking the responsibility of the nourishment and health of hundreds of Kanhas, contributing to the basis of a strong India. It is your fortune that you have got this opportunity.”
The CM mentioned that there were many questions about nutrition schemes in the past. However, significant improvements were made in the last 6-7 years: anemia in children came down and notable progress was observed in cases of underweight children, he noted, adding there was a reduction in the infant mortality rate as well.
He, however, stated that there was still room for further improvement. “Healthy children are not only the responsibility of the Women and Child Development department, but also of the Panchayati Raj and Urban Development department.”
During the programme, he also watched a short film on the Hot Cooked Meal scheme and distributed ‘Poshan bhi Padhayi bhi’ kits to Anganwadi workers and helpers. Additionally, the CM distributed Shree Anna nutrition plates to the children of Anganwadi centres.
To facilitate the preparation of hot-cooked food under the new initiative, along with midday meals, an additional incentive of 0.50 rupees per child per working day will be given to the helpers under the PM POSHAN scheme by the Department of Child Development Services and Nutrition.
The responsibility of timely delivery of meals to Anganwadi centres, located within a radius of 200 meters from primary and upper primary schools, as well as distributing hot and fresh meals to children, will be the responsibility of the respective Anganwadi helpers.
The director of Midday Meal, who’s also the director general of school education, Vijay Kiran Anand has issued guidelines to all basic education officers on this matter. As per the instructions, food grains and ingredients such as pulses, vegetables, oil, spices, etc., required for preparing food under the new initiative will be provided by the Department of Child Development Services and Nutrition.
Special emphasis on cleanliness
The responsibility of bringing the food prepared in the kitchens of primary schools to Anganwadi centres and serving them to children will be ensured by Anganwadi helpers, who will also be responsible for cleanliness maintenance. This arrangement will also apply to Anganwadi centres located within a 200-meter radius of primary and upper primary schools. Anganwadi helpers will also ensure that utensils used in preparing the food are clean and the hands of all children are washed before and after meals.
BOX: ‘Police officers will no longer live in dilapidated buildings, barracks’
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday inaugurated two buildings with 12 floors each that will become the residences of police officers in Ayodhya. He said that high-quality buildings were being constructed for police officers in all police lines in the state. “Soon, no police officer will be compelled to stay in dilapidated buildings and barracks. The government is committed to providing best facilities to police officers,” he added.
