Free Mid-Day Meals for Pregnant and New Mothers in Karnataka

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the Matru Purna scheme for pregnant women and lactating mothers was launched by the Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah.

The scheme is meant to ensure that these women get the essential nutrients in their food so that they give birth to healthy babies.

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Due to malnutrition in pregnant women, their babies do not get adequate nourishment.

This also affects the Infant Mortality Rate.

Under this new scheme, free mid-day meals will be provided 25 days in a month, and the food will be served at around 2,662 Anganwadi centres in all 30 districts in Karnataka, reports The Hindu.

They are trying to ensure food supply for at least 300 days, and ₹21 will be spent on each woman every day.

According to the publication, the meals will consist of rice and sambar, vegetables, eggs, 200 ml milk, jaggery, soaked Bengal gram, and other nutritious foods. Calcium and iron tablets will also be provided to them. The meals will be served to women from the beginning of pregnancy to 45 days after delivery.

A statement released by the Department of Women and Child Welfare read, “The improvement in the maternal and child health indicators of Karnataka has been slow compared to the rest of the south Indian states. Mathru Poorna scheme has been launched to improve maternal and child health.”

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