Satara Zilla Parishad sets aside Rs 15 lakh for malnourished children under new anti-malnutrition drive

The women and child welfare department of the Satara Zilla Parishad has taken a series of steps to improve children's health and tackle malnutrition. A new campaign, 'Kuposhanmukt Satara' (Malnutrition-free Satara), will be run under it. An effort has also been made to change the components of the supplementary nutrition ration so that it is more nourishing and better for health.

The decision to provide Rs 15 lakh from the Zilla Parishad's cess fund for the campaign was taken at a meeting of the women and child welfare committee on October 29. The amount has been earmarked for malnourished children.

Earlier, at a meeting of the women and child welfare subject committee on May 12, 2026, committee chairperson Rutuja Shinde had suggested that chana be given instead of white peas in the supplementary nutrition ration (HCM). The Commissioner of the Integrated Child Development Services scheme in Mumbai was asked to consider the matter as a policy question at the government level and issue the necessary guidelines.

The Zilla Parishad then sent a proposal to the Commissioner, Integrated Child Development Services, Mumbai, on July 14. The Commissioner responded positively and on July 31, 2026 approved giving green peas, chana or cowpeas in place of white peas.

According to the state chief minister's directive, children's health and nutrition are being given special priority under the concept of the 'first 1,000 days of a child'. Under the guidance of Ms Shinde and Satara Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Yashani Nagarajan, the health department and the women and child welfare department are jointly conducting a health screening of children up to six years of age in Satara district.

The survey will identify malnourished children, and the necessary measures will be taken to bring them out of the cycle of malnutrition. The 'Kuposhanmukt Satara' campaign will be run by the Satara Zilla Parishad for this purpose. Through new initiatives, the Zilla Parishad is prioritising children's health, nutrition and all-round development. Better quality of nutrition rations, a special financial provision for malnourished children and the survey being run in coordination with the health department will together speed up the district's journey towards a malnutrition-free Satara.

Rutuja Shinde said, "It is our resolve that every child gets nutritious food, good health and a healthy childhood. Malnutrition is not just a health problem; it concerns the future of our next generation. That is why we are trying to make the nutrition ration given to children more nourishing and better for health. Approval has come for the option of green peas, chana and cowpeas in place of white peas. We are also lobbying at the government level to use jaggery instead of sugar."

Ms Shinde went on to say, "By making a provision of Rs 15 lakh for the 'Kuposhanmukt Satara' campaign, it has been decided to give special nutritional support to malnourished children. Through the combined efforts of the administration, the health system, anganwadi workers and parents, we are committed to ensuring that every child in Satara district is fit and healthy. Because a healthy child is the true mark of a prosperous Satara." Ms Shinde is the chairperson of the women and child welfare committee in Satara.