Rs. 500 worth nutrition pack for pregnant Samurdhi mothers

Uditha Kumarasinghe

COLOMBO: The Government will issue a special nutrition pack worth Rs. 500 to pregnant mothers of all Samurdhi beneficiary families free of charge. The move is aimed at improving the nutrition levels and minimising acute malnutrition among these segments.

The Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Ministry will commence the second stage of this nutrition programme from August. Rs. 400 million will be spent to implement the second stage of this programme.

Under the second stage, the Ministry will grant the nutrition package to pregnant mothers of Samurdhi beneficiary families in 105 remotest Divisional Secretariat divisions countrywide, Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi told the Daily News yesterday.

On a monthly basis, the Ministry will distribute this special food package to pregnant mothers for 18 months including six months before birth and 12 months after the birth.

This food package will include five kg of rice, grain, coconuts, eggs and coconut oil. Only local cereals will be used in the nutrition package, the Minister said.

The Ministry implemented the pilot project of this programme targeting 54 Divisional Secretariat divisions coming under the Badulla, Moneragala, Hambantota, Puttalam and Nuwara Eliya districts.

Rs. 58 million was spent to implement this pilot project. The Ministry has also sought Health Ministry advice to implement this nutrition programme, she said.

As a result of the success achieved in the pilot project,the Ministry has been able to implement the second stage assisting a large number of pregnant mothers of low income families to improve their nutritional level, the Minister said.

A recent survey has revealed that nearly one fourth of the country's population is living under acute economic hardships and pregnant mothers of such poverty stricken families suffer from malnutrition.

Having considered this situation, the Ministry in line with the Mahinda Chinthana manifesto has decided to implement a special nutrition programme to uplift the nutrition level of pregnant mothers of these poverty stricken families, she said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry in collaboration with MILCO has also made arrangements to provide a glass of milk to children of Samurdhi beneficiary families who are between the ages of two to five.

Initially priority will be given to rural areas where the malnutrition level is at a high percentage, the Minister said.