Under the Janani Suraksha Yojana, the National Health Mission (NHM) is setting up hundreds of ‘Prerna’ canteens across Uttar Pradesh, to offer nutritious meals at subsidised rates to the underprivileged pregnant women, state officials said.
While the state already has 472 Prerna canteens, 381 more such canteens are expected to be functional by April-end. The scheme allows women self-help groups to set up Prerna canteens with funding from the government.
“Women registered under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram are given free of cost nutritious meals at government hospitals before delivery. Now, they will get subsidised meals at Prerna canteens as well,” Dr. Ravi Prakash Dixit, the in-charge of maternal health, NHM-UP, said.
There are a few ways in which the canteen initiative is facilitated--through government hospitals, local kitchens, independent agencies, etc., he shared. “Three meals a day are provided to the to-be mothers at the canteen. For breakfast, we make sure that milk, eggs, and fresh fruits are on the menu; lunch must be a balanced meal of rice, roti, dal, seasonal green vegetables; dinner must have roti, dal and protein-rich food items. We try to ensure that the meals are warm, nutritious and fresh,” said Dixit.