Sitting at home, bemoaning their bulky bodies and running away from the public gaze might have been the plight of expecting women in the glamour industry, but giving the boot to the norm is model-turned-actor Shweta Menon.
Not only has the actor refused to shy away from her creative life during her pregnancy, she seems to be putting this phase to good use. After her ambitious project to film her pregnancy and delivery for an upcoming flick, Shweta will endorse a campaign for a new programme for healthy mothers and children.
Janani Sishu Suraksha Yojna (JSSY) was recently launched by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in the state. Under the programme, the Health Department looks at providing free health services to pregnant women and children in a bid to bring down mortality rates among mothers and newborns.
NRHM Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) senior consultant Premjit has said that Shweta Menon agreed to endorse JSSY. “The dates are fixed for late August. We are looking at a 30-second TV ad. From the still, we might also look at print ads, and radio advertisements according to the compatibility of the voice over,” he said. The entire campaign is estimated at `1 crore. Provision for free transportation for mothers and children to and from the hospital during delivery, free hospital stay, free diagnoses and provision of free nutritional food for mothers and children are some of the aspects of the JSSY which will be focused upon during the promotional campaigns.
The advertisement is being developed by the state government-based Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT). NRHM had earlier roped in actors like Kavya Madhavan for its select projects.
