BENGALURU: As many as 21,21,594 children between six months and three years of age will soon get three new nutritional supplements provided by the government to address malnourishment. The Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) is getting recipes of supplements from experts of CFTRI in Mysuru, National Institution of Nutrition in Hyderabad, and St John’s Hospital of Bengaluru, according to DWCD director Priyanka Mary Francis.
As per DWCD data, among kids registered with Anganwadis, there are 2,72,657 (6.61 per cent) moderately underweight kids (highest of 14.85 per cent in Raichur), and 5,744 (0.13 per cent) severely underweight kids (highest of 17 per cent in Ballari and Vijayanagar) in the State. According to sources at the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) of DWCD, the three new recipes will replace ‘pushti’ nutrition powder, which is now given to kids between six months and three years of age.