NEW DELHI: India currently has 52 comprehensive lactation management centres (CLMC) equipped to provide safe and pasteurized donor human milk to preterm, premature, low birth weight, and sick babies, the Rajya Sabha was informed.
According to Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi, 19 of the 52 lactation management units (CLMC) in India are located in Tamil Nadu.
Additionally, Tamil Nadu houses 20 of the 49 lactation management units (LMUs) in the country, the minister said in a written reply in response to a question by Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday.
Devi said the central government had established CLMC to ensure the availability of safe, pasteurized donor human milk and LMU to facilitate the expression of mother’s own milk for feeding of sick, preterm and low birth weight babies admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Special Newborn Care Units.
These comprehensive lactation management centres (CLMCs) are not just facilities, but lifelines for our most vulnerable infants. They play a crucial role in addressing these infants’ nutritional and developmental needs, ensuring they receive the essential nourishment required for healthy growth and development.
The minister underscored the government’s commitment to supporting working mothers.
To facilitate their ability to give due care and protection to their children, the ministry has introduced the Palna sub-scheme under Mission Shakti for all states and UTs from April 1, 2022.
This scheme provides daycare facilities and protection to children, thereby enabling mothers to participate more fully in the workforce.
Palna is a centrally sponsored scheme that ensures the state government’s participation in its day-to-day monitoring and proper implementation.
Under the Palna sub-scheme, the ministry has extended free services of childcare through Anganwadi cum Crèche (AWCC).
The minister said this initiative is a testament to the government’s commitment to providing whole-day childcare support, ensuring children’s well-being in a safe and secure environment.
The ministry has approved 5,631 AWCCs in the country.
A total of 1428 government-aided standalone creches and 735 Anganwadi-cum-Creches are operational in the country, the minister added.
Kerala, at 266, has the highest number of standalone creches in the country. It is followed by Manipur (214), Karnataka (170), Haryana (165), Punjab (143), Tamil Nadu (141), and Tripura (114).
Mizoram has the highest number of AWCC at 176, followed by Karnataka at 164. They are followed by Nagaland (94), Chandigarh (89), Delhi (57), and Meghalaya (48).
The initiative aims to increase women’s workforce participation in the economy.
“The objective of Palna component is to provide quality creche facility in a safe and secure environment for children (from ages six months - 6 years), nutritional support, health and cognitive development of children, growth monitoring, immunization and pre-primary education,” she said.