BANGALORE: Households with malnourished children in the 0-6 months age group, specially in the rural areas of the State, have to be identified and community participation sought in checking malnutrition through various programmes, Principal Secretary for Women and Child Development Ranjini Srikumar said here on Thursday.

She was speaking at the inauguration of a State-level seminar on "Micronutrient Deficiencies — A Drain on Indian Economy" as part of the National Nutrition Week organised by the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services and Food and Nutrition Board.

Ms. Srikumar suggested that medical officers, anganwadi workers and auxiliary nurse/midwives should regularly visit such households and monitor the progress of the malnourished children.

The Nutrition Monitoring and Surveillance System has been in place in the State since 2001, but the Government has not been able to consolidate information because of the lack of software. The National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, has now developed software that will shortly be acquired and used by the Government to analyse data and formulate an action plan to check the nutrition level among infants in the State, she said.

Even though the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) was introduced in the State in 1975, 30 to 40 per cent of children under six months of age are malnourished, she added.

Inaugurating the seminar, Minister for Women and Child Development Bhagirathi Marulasiddanagowda said awareness should be created among the public about the importance of iron, iodine and vitamins in food and about schemes of the Government to improve nutrition levels.

Principal Secretary for Health and Family Welfare D. Thangaraj said the issue of nutrition should be perceived as a human development issue and a campaign should be initiated to provide better nutrition to malnourished populations.

National Nutrition Week is observed from September 1 to 7, and various experts will be speaking on the nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies at the seminar.

Health and Family Welfare Commissioner Basavaraj, Health and Family Welfare Director Benita David and Women and Child Development Director Gonal Bhimmappa were present at the inaguration of the seminar..

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