BHUBANESWAR: The state government will mobilise 5,000 college students, primarily NSS volunteers, to conduct anthropometric screening of children in anganwadi centres under the ‘Suposhit Odisha Mission’.
Acting on a communication from the Women and Child Development (WCD) department, state Higher Education director Kali Prasanna Mohapatra chaired a meeting of shortlisted colleges for roll out of the screening drive. “Around 200 colleges have been finalised initially for the drive. The students of these colleges, primarily the NSS volunteers, will visit different anganwadi centres and measure the height and weight of the children, and submit the report to authorities concerned for growth monitoring under the Suposhit mission,” Mohapatra told TNIE.
Around 5,000 NSS volunteers from colleges will be mobilised for the drive to be carried out in over 30,000 anganwadi centres across the state, the director said. Apart from the children enrolled to anganwadi centres, hight and weight of infants will also be measures at these centres under the drive.
Mohapatra said involvement of the students in this community service programme will not only help in generating a fresh database on growth of infants and children for appropriate nutritional intervention, but also provide the volunteers with intensive, multi-faceted field exposure that will support them in their academic learnings.
The director said the volunteers will also be paid `500 for covering each anganwadi centre, apart from the TA and DA, for taking part in the screening drive. A master-trainers’ workshop will be organised for the college faculties and staff soon, who in turn, will impart the training to the NSS volunteers for roll out of the drive.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida had launched the ‘Suposhit Odisha Mission’ in November 2025 to strengthen child nutrition across the state. The mission aims to prevent malnutrition and promote the health and growth of every child.