Reducing malnutrition is the key focus: Maneka Gandhi

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Monday said that the key focus of her ministry was to reduce malnutrition.

"The key focus is to reduce malnutrition for which the WCD Ministry is holding regular consultations with the states on improving the content of food being provided to the children in anganwadis and regular monitoring of their nutrition status," she said at the second edition of "All India Women Journalists' Workshop" bringing together over 100 journalists from various media organisations across the country.

Gandhi also gave a brief overview of the initiatives in the pipeline like digitisation of anganwadis, direct benefit transfer to women, anti-trafficking Bill, draft National Policy for Women among others.

"Workshops are being organised by the ministry to empower women journalists so that they can act as agents of change especially in matters pertaining to women and child development," she said.

The minister also held a question and answer session with the journalists on issues like child abuse, discrimination against women in various fields especially employment, financial empowerment of women, nutrition, malfunctioning of anganwadis in several states etc.

"The effort of the ministry is to connect with journalists from the grassroots to make them active participants in the process of change, to receive feedback from them and also to receive ideas from the grassroots which will benefit the women and children," Gandhi said.

"Journalists should try to highlight success stories and find role models to enable the Ministry to give recognition to genuine people, especially to women contributing to community building in the field, she added.

The first 'All India Women Journalists' Workshop' was held in June this year.

--IANS

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