Suposhan Chaupals are being organized in Jashpur district to combat malnutrition, promote community participation
Jashpurnagar. In an effort to combat malnutrition, help overcome malnutrition in children aged 0-5 years, promote community participation, and achieve success in the Anemia-free campaign, the district-level ‘Suposhan Chaupal’ programme is being carried out. To address the issue of malnutrition and better implementation of related schemes, the Village Health, Cleanliness, and Nutrition Committee is constituted. This committee acts as a platform for creating health awareness, addressing specific local needs, and serving as a monitoring system for community-based programmes, and assisting severely malnourished children.
Officials responsible for malnutrition eradication visit designated villages and conduct comprehensive Suposhan Chaupal sessions. These sessions take place in the presence of village Sarpanch, panchayat members, local public representatives, supervisors, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), and Anganwadi workers, with the aim of raising awareness among parents of malnourished children. Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Portega of Jashpur development block has made notable efforts by providing milk, eggs, bananas, and apples to severely malnourished children, thereby improving their nutritional status. The Sarpanch personally distributes milk, eggs, bananas, and peanuts on a weekly basis to elevate the children’s nutritional levels. During home visits, the Sarpanch also distributes ‘Grih-Bhent’ materials to parents, providing advice on the nutritional status of their children and guidance on maintaining cleanliness at home. Encouraging results have been observed, as the weight of malnourished children has increased and their nutritional status has shown improvement.
Panchayat workers and assistants are also actively contributing to the efforts to reduce malnutrition. They visit the homes of malnourished children, measure their weight, provide guidance on appropriate diets and hygiene, and give necessary advice to parents.
