VIJAYAWADA: In a major welfare measure targeting newborn care and maternal support across Andhra Pradesh, Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav announced on Thursday that the state government will soon launch the distribution of ‘NTR Baby Kits’, with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu formally inaugurating the scheme.
Inspecting various samples of the baby kits at the Health Department headquarters in Mangalagiri alongside Health Secretary G Veerapandian and Health Commissioner KVN Chakradhar Babu, the Minister examined the quality, utility, and safety of the items.
He stated that the government has allocated Rs 51.15 crore annually to cover around 2.45 lakh deliveries occurring each year in state-run government hospitals, with each kit valued at Rs 1,400.22.
Designed to ensure essential hygiene, warmth, and care during a newborn’s early days, each NTR Baby Kit contains a baby bed with a mosquito net, a baby macintosh, newborn clothing, a baby towel, and three washable cloth diapers.
Additionally, the kit bag includes 200g of baby powder, 100 ml of baby shampoo, 200 ml of baby oil, baby soap with a case, and a rattle toy.
He emphasised that bringing essential newborn care items into a single, high-quality kit will ease fiscal burden on poor and middle-class families following childbirth, assuring that distribution will commence soon across all government healthcare centers.