Gonda: In a festive initiative ahead of Diwali, 250 malnourished mothers and children in Gonda received nutritional support under the ‘Parampara Se Poshan’ campaign on Friday. With the distribution programme held at the District Panchayat auditorium at 12.30 pm, Gonda became the first district in the Devipatan division to implement the initiative.
Conceptualised by Divisional Commissioner Durga Shakti Nagpal, the campaign aims to address malnutrition among women and children across Gonda, Bahraich, Balrampur and Shravasti. Similar distribution programmes will be organised in the remaining three districts.
According to the initiative, 10,842 children across the division have been identified as suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) or Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM). The campaign aims to reach every identified child and provide sustained nutritional support.
The initiative aligns with the Uttar Pradesh government’s efforts under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to strengthen maternal and child nutrition and ensure a healthy start for every child.
Traditional Foods at the Heart of the Campaign
The programme seeks to revive traditional dietary practices and promote affordable, locally available sources of nutrition.
Mothers were provided with traditional iron cooking woks, which can help increase the iron content of food and support efforts to prevent anaemia. Families also received jaggery, roasted gram and sattu, foods that have long been part of the region’s traditional diet.
Calcium supplements, ORS-zinc packets and fortified take-home ration in the form of ready-to-prepare nutritional mixtures were also distributed to address the dietary requirements of mothers and children.
Regular Monitoring to Ensure Lasting Impact
The campaign extends beyond the distribution of nutrition kits and includes a system of continuous health monitoring. Anganwadi workers will track the progress of each mother and child, while ASHA workers will conduct regular household visits.
Periodic assessments of body weight, child growth and haemoglobin levels will be undertaken to measure improvements in nutritional and health outcomes.
Addressing the gathering, Divisional Commissioner Durga Shakti Nagpal said the healthy future of the Devipatan division depended on the well-being of its mothers and children. She described ‘Parampara Se Poshan’ as an effort to combine traditional nutritional knowledge with the reach of government welfare systems.
She emphasised that the Diwali distribution was only the beginning and that officials would remain connected with beneficiary families until children achieved proper growth and mothers attained better health.
Campaign to Expand Across Devipatan Division
The divisional commissioner appreciated Gonda District Magistrate Priyanka Niranjan and her administrative team for planning and successfully organising the first distribution programme.
She said Gonda had demonstrated how a well-planned, community-oriented initiative could reach families most in need of nutritional assistance. The campaign will now be extended to Bahraich, Balrampur and Shravasti, with the ultimate objective of covering all 10,842 identified children and their families.
District Magistrate Priyanka Niranjan thanked Anganwadi and ASHA workers for their contribution, acknowledging their daily efforts in making public welfare programmes successful and ensuring that nutritional support reaches beneficiaries.
Chief Development Officer Dayanand Prasad, the District Programme Officer, the District Social Welfare Officer and other officials concerned were present at the programme.
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