Bhubaneswar: In a significant move aimed at making Odisha free from malnutrition, the state government has enhanced nutritional support for severely underweight children by increasing the breakfast expenditure under the Mukhyamantri Sampoorna Pushti Yojana.
Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida announced that the breakfast cost for underweight children has been increased from ₹8 to ₹12 per day. With the revision, beneficiaries will now receive food support worth ₹18 per day under the scheme.
The initiative will benefit around 35,000 severely underweight children across the state. The Odisha government will incur an additional expenditure of ₹126.83 crore from its own resources to implement the enhanced nutritional package. Officials said children attending anganwadi centres, who were earlier receiving nutritional support worth 24 paise under a particular component, will now receive ₹3.56.
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As part of the state’s broader nutrition mission, the Deputy Chief Minister also launched a digital booklet focusing on nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. The booklet provides comprehensive guidance on nutrition and healthcare from pregnancy—covering the 270 days in the mother’s womb—through the first two years after birth.
Speaking on the occasion, Parida said greater awareness among mothers through the booklet would help reduce childbirth-related complications and improve child health outcomes. She expressed confidence that such interventions would contribute significantly to the state’s goal of eliminating malnutrition by 2036.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the Women and Child Development Department is working in mission mode to build a malnutrition-free Odisha and appreciated the department’s proactive efforts in identifying and treating malnourished children across the state.