Bhubaneswar, July 21: The Centre today asked the state government to adopt the Uttarakhand model for feeding pre-school children and their mothers.

Union women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi made the suggestion during her meeting with chief minister Naveen Patnaik in New Delhi today.

Maneka said Uttarakhand had introduced an innovative feeding system of providing a mix of millets and peanuts for supplementing the nutritional needs pre-school children and their mothers. She said: "Odisha may consider adopting a similar feeding system."

"We basically discussed nutritional programmes. We will see how best we can help Odisha in this regard," the Union minister said.

Odisha had hogged national headlines in the wake of malnutrition-related deaths in the Nagada cluster of villages in Jajpur district last year. It was found at least 19 children had died within six months allegedly due to malnutrition. The deceased children belonged to the Juang community, a primitive tribe living on the hills. The nation-wide uproar had prompted Naveen to set up a task force headed by the revenue divisional commissioner to oversee the overall developmental and welfare activities in this backward area. Odisha had also topped the list among the states in terms of infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate, which is attributed to acute malnutrition. This had prompted Naveen to launch Infant Mortality Redressal Mission in 2000.

Maneka said the Centre had sanctioned seven one-stop centres for women and desired that these were made operational at the earliest. She said: "In case Odisha desires, more of such centres could be sanctioned to the state."

The chief minister urged the Union minister to provide Rs 250 crore for the construction of anganwadi centres that do not have concrete buildings of their own.

He also sought enhancement of the approved rate for supplementary nutrition, approval of at least one anganwadi centre or mini-angawadi centre for every hamlet in the tribal areas irrespective of population, and revision of the honorarium of anganwadi workers and helpers. The chief minister also demanded income tax exemption for donation to Juvenile Justice Fund.

Official sources said the Union minister assured that the issues raised by the chief minister would receive the Centre's priority attention.