Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 20: Citizen's Forum has requested the Governor Satya Pal Malik and Advisor Farooq Khan to order a survey to find out the extent of malnutrition in school children of the state, particularly the rural areas. The problem of malnutrition, anemia, deficiency of vitamin A, and iodine is very common among the school children. The centre government surveys point out that today, 94 percent children in the age group of 6-9 are mildly, moderately or severely underweight. Adolescent girls suffer from anemia due to iron and folic add deficiency. RK Chadha, the president of Citizen's Forum said that center government has emphasized the implementation of mid-day meals in its common minimum programme. It also mentions the setting up of an appropriate mechanism for quality checks. Despite all this mid-day meals means rice and dal or only rice with salt in this state with a budget of Rs 100 crores.
Chadha further said apart from non -compliance with nutritional norms, as set by the center government and adopted by other states like Punjab and UP where banana, egg and milk is compulsory with basic food adding that the cooking of Mid-Day Meals needs correction of basic ills of preparation next to lavatories, abandoned houses, under trees, roads and even dose to the drains because these schools do not have kitchens. Mostly meals are found with cockroaches, lizards, and earthworms and remnants of insecticides, leading to sometimes tragedies.
We request appointment of doctors to variably visit schools and check the health of students and provide medicine for their health benefits. |
