Telangana should eliminate malnutrition by 2022: NIRDPR Director-General Reddy

An advancing state as Telangana should strive to achieve beyond the set targets and eliminate malnutrition by 2022, said Director-General of National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) Dr W R Reddy here on Thursday.

"This can be achieved by initiating a grassroots action through the involvement of Panchayati Raj institutes," said Dr Reddy, who was chairing a high-level meeting organised here to deliberate on actions required to achieve the POSHAN Abhiyaan targets set for 2022 in the state.

PM'S Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyaan aimed at improving nutritional outcomes and making India malnutrition free by 2022.

Principal Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, M Jagdeeshwar emphasised the need for quality data to prioritise the most needed interventions to address the issue of malnutrition.

"Addressing the nutritional needs of adolescent girls with appropriate interventions is the need of the hour," he added.

The Department of Tribal Welfare also shared their efforts in implementing Giri Poshana programme, which focuses on how diverse food items improve the nutritional status of women and children in tribal areas.

Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Neetu Prasad also promised her support for POSHAN Abhiyaan by ensuring the participation of 'sarpanches' at the village-level programme.

The meeting was attended by Secretaries and Heads of the departments and officials of Women and Child Development, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Health, Education, Tribal Welfare, SERP, and UNICEF.