VIJAYAWADA: The State government will reintroduce distribution of ‘Balamrutham’ to children aged below 3 years from July 1. Balamrutham is weaning food introduced under Integrated Child Development Scheme, to provide improved supplementary nutrition to children between 7 months to 3 years.
The weaning food is a preparation of wheat, chana dal, milk powder, oil and sugar. Though Balamrutham was distributed to children in united Andhra Pradesh, it came to a halt post bifurcation as the manufacturing unit in Hyderabad is maintained by Telangana government.
However, after holding talks with Telangana government, the AP government decided to implement the Balamrutham distribution.
Speaking to newsmen after a review meeting with the officials at the Interim Government Complex in Velagapudi on Friday, Women and Child Welfare Minister Paritala Sunitha said that the government would launch distribution of Balamrutham packets through Anganwadi centres. Around 16 lakh children would benefit from this scheme.
Anna Amruthahastam
She also said that Anna Amruthahastam scheme intended to supply nutritious food to pregnant and lactating mothers would be implemented across the state from July 1. Stating that wages of Anganwadi workers will be deposited in their bank accounts on the first of every month, she said the government has taken up construction of 7,000 Anganwadi buildings across the State of which 1,422 buildings have been completed and remaining would finish by August 2017.