MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has set up a task force headed by State Health Minister Deepak Sawant to recommend long-term measures to eradicate malnutrition in tribal areas of Palghar district. There were deaths reported from Palghar district due to malnutrition in recent months.
The announcement to set up a task force was recently made by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Accordingly, a Government Resolution (GR) to this effect was issued last Friday. Deepak Sawant will be the chairperson of the task force, which will have women and child welfare and rural development minister Pankaja Munde, tribal minister Vishnu Sawra, agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar and food and civil supplies minister Girish Bapat as members.
The other members include additional chief secretary of women and child welfare ministry, principal secretary of agriculture ministry, secretaries of Tribal and Food and Civil Supplies ministries. Principal secretary (health) will be the member secretary of the task force. Fadnavis had announced setting up of such a State-level task force to curb malnutrition in Maharashtra in September. “In order to eradicate the problem of malnutrition, there is a need for co-ordination among different departments. Taking this into account, the task force committee is being set up”, the Chief Minister had said.