PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Emphasising on the importance of health screenings for children, the chief secretary Anand Bardhan has directed the Health department to provide necessary treatment and follow-up for children suffering from anaemia in the State. He made this statement during a meeting of the State-Level Implementation and Monitoring Committee regarding the Prime Minister’s Nutrition Power Generation (PM-POSHAN), which was held at the secretariat on Wednesday under his chairmanship. The CS received detailed information about PM-POSHAN.
He instructed that social audits be conducted in as many schools as possible under the PM Poshan Yojana. Additionally, he asked compliance reports to be submitted, detailing any deficiencies identified in the social audit to the relevant districts.
CS also directed the creation of a digital mapping and tracking mechanism for children in schools. He emphasised that a location-specific analysis of schools should be conducted to identify the health issues faced by children in each district or block, allowing for targeted efforts to address these problems.
In the meeting, secretary Ravinath Raman presented the annual action plan and budget proposed to the Government of India for the financial year 2026-27 for the PM Poshan Yojana. He said that, as a new initiative, a total of 78 Bhojan Matas (cooks of MDM in government schools) in the Bageshwar and Haridwar districts have been trained in mushroom cultivation. To enhance the nutritional value of the mid-day meal, fortified flavoured skimmed milk is now being provided to children twice a week, in collaboration with the Uttarakhand Cooperative Dairy Federation Limited. He said that this initiative is part of the State government’s efforts to improve the nutritional standards for children.
