From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Oct 2: The nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating women in rural areas are sought to be taken care of by the novel 'Mathru Purna' scheme launched by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Gandhi Jayanti Day in Bengaluru on Monday.

Under the programme, pregnant and lactating poor women in rural areas will get one nutritious meal every day.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the scheme would provide beneficiaries with meals that would include rice, dal or sambar, green vegetables, pulses and egg. 

Those who do not eat eggs would be given two kinds of sprouts, he said explaining that the objective was to boost the nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating women as they have to take care of themselves and their new born too.

Earlier, the Chief Minister offered floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi as also the second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.

The Mathru Purna scheme is envisaged to improve maternal health that would have a direct impact on the child’s nutrition. 

This would help curb child malnutrition, the single biggest contributor to under-five mortality, officials of the department of Women and Child Welfare said.

The scheme would be implemented through Anganwadis in the State. 

Each meal is estimated to cost around Rs 20. 

The food would be provided for 15 months, from the start of pregnancy up to six months after delivery.

The scheme is being implemented on a pilot basis in four taluks of the State. 

During 2017-18 budget, the State Government extended the scheme to all 30 districts and allocated a budget of Rs 302 crore.