UP government and Vedanta join forces to wipe out malnourishment

Vedanta has joined hands with the government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) reaffirming its commitment to combat and eradicate malnourishment from the state by the year 2024, as per a statement from Vedanta.

Vedanta’s philanthropic arm, the Anil Agarwal Foundation, plans to end all forms of malnutrition, including stunting and wasting in children under five years of age, and address the nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating women through its flagship CSR Project Nand Ghar, the statement said.

Nand Ghar has partnered with Mealmile Nutrients as a part of its thematic interventions on right nutrition. Initiating a pilot project, the partnership is targetting to improvise the nutritional levels of 3,000 malnourished children in the Araji line block of Varanasi, the statement further added.

Under the pilot, a Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) in the form of a paste, manufactured by Mealmile Nutrients, is being distributed by the district administration to each of the household having malnourished children in Varanasi. The project aims to potentially improve the nutritional and health status of the targetted children by ensuring access to nutritious food. The ongoing pilot project is five months long and shall be eventually assessed by the district administration, according to the statement.

On the occasion, Priya Agarwal, Director, Vedanta Resources, said, “Project Nand Ghar is committed towards PM’s vision of a malnourishment-free India. It is our chairman’s dream to see no child goes to bed hungry. This partnership with the government of Uttar Pradesh will strengthen our commitment to combat malnourishment among children and ensuring a healthy future for them.”

The District Magistrate of Varanasi, Kaushal Raj Sharma, said, “Malnourishment suppresses the development and growth of children. Our primary focus is to provide the necessary nourishment to the children so that they get the opportunity to grow to their full potential. With this partnership, we shall ensure proper nourishment for the holistic development of the children, hence the nation.”

The statement further mentioned that within the tenure of two years, Vedanta shall jointly work with the government for focussed interventions on identification of SAM/MAM children, holistic health and potential development of targetted children, regular follow ups, awareness session and tracking growth of targetted children, along with provision of health supplements and therapeutic foods and reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity and malnutrition amongst children.