Type: Schemes

The Jharkhand government has announced the launch of the SAAMAR campaign to tackle malnutrition in the state.

We can expect an MCQ like:

Q.SAAMAR campaign sometimes seen in news is related to:

() Bovine health

() Mother and Child Health

() Non-communicable diseases

() None of these

SAAMAR

• SAAMAR is an acronym for Strategic Action for Alleviation of Malnutrition and Anemia Reduction.
• The campaign aims to identify anaemic women and malnourished children and converge various departments to effectively deal with the problem in a state where malnutrition has been a major problem.
• Every second child in the state is stunted and underweight and every third child is affected by stunting and every 10th child is affected by severe wasting and around 70% of children are anaemic NFHS-4 data.

Features of the scheme

• Although existing schemes are there, seeing the current situation, the intervention was required with a ‘different approach to reduce malnutrition.
• SAAMAR has been launched with a 1000 days target, under which annual surveys will be conducted to track the progress.
• It talks of convergence of various departments such as the Rural Development Department and Food and Civil Supplies and engagement with school management committees, gram sabhas among others and making them aware of nutritional behaviour.
• Most importantly, the campaign, as per the note, also tries to target Primarily Vulnerable Tribal Groups.

Outlined strategy under the scheme

• To tackle severe acute malnutrition children, every Anganwadi Centres will be engaged to identify these children and subsequently will be treated at the Malnutrition Treatment Centres.
• In the same process, the anaemic women will also be listed and will be referred to health centres in serious cases.
• All of these will be done by measuring Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) of women and children through MUAC tapes and Edema levels.
• Angawadi’s Sahayia and Sevika will take them to the nearest Health Centre where they will be checked again and then registered on the portal of State Nutrition Mission.

Why need such a scheme?

• The state government runs various schemes under Child Development Schemes, National Nutrition Mission among others to deal with the situation, but it is not enough.
• Dealing with malnutrition in the state monitoring has been an important concern due to the lack of doctors or health care workers.

The government’s maternity benefit scheme, or Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, has crossed 1.75 crores, eligible women, till the financial year 2020, the Centre informed Parliament.

PMMVY

• The PMMVY is a maternity benefit program introduced in 2017 and is implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• It is a conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating women of 19 years of age or above for the first live birth.
• It provides partial wage compensation to women for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare and to provide conditions for safe delivery and good nutrition and feeding practices.
• Under the scheme, pregnant women and lactating mothers receive ₹5,000 on the birth of their first child in three instalments, after fulfilling certain conditionalities.
• In 2013, the scheme was brought under the National Food Security Act, 2013 to implement the provision of cash maternity benefit stated in the Act.
• The direct benefit cash transfer is to help expectant mothers meet enhanced nutritional requirements as well as to partially compensate them for wage loss during their pregnancy.

Eligibility Conditions and Conditionalities

The first transfer (at pregnancy trimester) of ₹1,000 requires the mother to:

• Register pregnancy at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) whenever she comes to know about her conception
• Attend at least one prenatal care session and taking Iron-folic acid tablets and TT1 (tetanus toxoid injection), and
• Attend at least one counselling session at the AWC or healthcare centre.

The second transfer (six months of conception) of ₹2,000 requires the mother to:

• Attend at least one prenatal care session and TT2

The third transfer (three and a half months after delivery) of ₹2,000 requires the mother to:

• Register the birth
• Immunize the child with OPV and BCG at birth, at six weeks and at 10 weeks
• Attend at least two growth monitoring sessions within three months of delivery

Additionally, the scheme requires the mother to:

• Exclusively breastfeed for six months and introduce complementary feeding as certified by the mother
• Immunize the child with OPV and DPT
• Attend at least two counselling sessions on growth monitoring and infant and child nutrition and feeding between the third and sixth months after delivery

Before judging this factual information, take this PYQ form 2019:

Q.Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017?

1. Pregnant women are entitled to three months pre-delivery and three months post-delivery paid leave.
2. Enterprises with creches must allow the mother a minimum of six crèche visits daily.
3. Women with two children get reduced entitlements.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3