Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Despite financial constraints, the directorate of women and child development is planning to modify the breakfast menu of children at anganwadi centres with the aim to offer them nutritious and healthy meals keeping in mind their dietary requirements.
On the pilot basis, around 100 anganwadi centres of Bhopal have been selected where new breakfast recipes will be introduced “Initially the new breakfast meals will be introduced at selected anganwadis of Bhopal on pilot basis and on getting good results and necessary approval from the government, the project will be replicated in other anganwadi centres of the state,” said the WCD commissioner Dr RR Bhosle while talking to Free Press.
A senior official of the department told Free Press that four to five nutritious recipes have been worked out which would be served to anganwadi children .
“The new tasty and nutritious recipes will help in meeting the children’s dietary needs. One such item is Chikki and it’s not even costly,” said the official.
Currently Khichdi and other hot cooked meals are served to children of five and six years of age group for breakfast at anganwadi. During the pilot project, the feasibility of introducing the new breakfast recipes, whether the Self Help Groups (SHGs) are comfortable in preparing them will be ascertained.
WCD seeks more funds
The directorate of women and child development has written to the ministry seeking more budgetary allocation for meals served at aganwadi centers. They are yet to respond. It is learnt that a total Rs 3 per child is allotted under breakfast head. And at this cost, serving nutritious breakfast remains challenging for the WCD but even then the department is trying to introduce new healthy recipes for children.
