Jalgaon: Family, Community Participation Essential For Holistic Child Development, Says CEO Karishma Nair

Jalgaon: Karishma Nair, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jalgaon Zilla Parishad, said it is essential to focus on the intellectual, emotional, social and linguistic development of children alongside their physical growth.

She expressed these views while reviewing various initiatives under the Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme during a personal visit to the Anganwadi centre in Vasantwadi, which operates under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.

She noted that the Early Childhood Development programme should not be limited to the Anganwadi centre but should be implemented effectively through active participation of families and the community.

During the visit, Nair personally measured the height and weight of children at the centre and classified their nutritional status based on criteria such as Normal, SAM (Severe Acute Malnutrition), MAM (Moderate Acute Malnutrition), SUW (Severely Underweight) and MUW (Moderately Underweight). She emphasised the importance of regular growth monitoring, accurate classification and timely interventions based on findings.

The inspection revealed a low prevalence of stunting among children in Vasantwadi. Nair instructed officials to implement continuous preventive and necessary curative measures to maintain the situation and further reduce stunting rates.

During her visit to the Anganwadi centre, CEO Nair sat on the floor with pregnant women and lactating mothers, interacting with them warmly. She inquired about their diet, health, breastfeeding practices, child-rearing and challenges related to their children’s growth and development.

By setting aside the formal barrier between officials and beneficiaries and interacting with them at their level, she encouraged the women to openly share their problems and needs. Nair highlighted that proper nutrition, active family participation and timely availability of essential services are crucial during the early stages of a child’s life.

She said the responsibility for children’s health, nutrition, education and emotional development lies not only with mothers but with the entire family. She instructed concerned authorities to effectively convey this message to every family.

Chief Executive Officer Karishma Nair’s field visit to Vasantwadi went beyond a routine administrative inspection. It included direct nutritional assessment of children, a review of the implementation of the Early Childhood Development programme, digital app-based monitoring, evaluation of educational quality in schools, interaction with pregnant and lactating mothers, encouragement of women’s self-help groups and efforts to understand villagers’ issues.

Nair interacted directly with villagers to understand their problems and local needs. She emphasised the necessity of fathers actively participating alongside mothers in child-rearing, ensuring children have access to proper nutrition and developmental opportunities, and encouraging villagers to participate in child development initiatives.

Nair also spoke with members of the village’s women’s self-help groups to understand the facilities, challenges and requirements related to their businesses. She encouraged them to effectively utilise available opportunities and undertake various business ventures and income-generating activities.

Zilla Parishad CEO Karishma Nair conducted the visit under the Jalgaon project. Hemantrao Bhadane, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Women and Child Development Department, was also present.