Jamshedpur, Feb. 27: East Singhbhum administration today launched a massive programme to identify malnourished children below five and take corrective steps.

Waking up to the need to provide healthcare to all, the administration launched the programme in Ghatshila block. The programme would be taken to the remaining eight blocks of the district at a later stage.

District administration officials said the identification of malnourished children was part of a project that includes providing children Vitamin A, iron and anti-worm tablets as well as taking care of sanitation problems.

Gram pradhans and anganvadi sevikas would be involved in the programme and they would have to visit each house in the block and identify malnourished children below five years. Apart from that, immunisation of these children would be undertaken for better healthcare.

Sources in the administration said once the identification is completed, counselling sessions would be organised to explain how parents should take care of their children so that malnourishment is not a problem.

Deputy commissioner of East Singhbhum Nitin Madan Kulkarni visited the block to launch the programme.

“The gram pradhans and anganvadi sevikas have been told to make the people aware of this programme and also visit each household to identify malnourished cases. The gram pradhans have even been told to take up these issues during the gram sabha meetings, which they conduct. Issues related to sanitation and other issues would also be discussed by these people,” Kulkarni said.

The district has around 99,000 children and about 2,500 are severely malnourished, it was revealed at a recent meeting of Child Development Programme Officers.

In an effort to understand the problems of Ghatshila residents, Kulkarni interacted with people through a local cable network’s programme.