Deputy CM Parida asks people to distribute fruits at anganwadis on their special days

Bhubaneswar: Deputy CM Pravati Parida on Tuesday urged people to distribute fruits at anganwadi centres to celebrate personal milestones like birthdays. The move will help address malnutrition, she said.Launching the SUPOSHIT Odisha Mission of the women and child development department here, Parida said the fight against malnutrition begins at home. She called upon officials concerned to educate mothers at the grassroots level, empowering them with the knowledge to ensure their children’s health.She also focused on localisation of nutritious food and urged stakeholders to rely on locally available, nutrient-rich resources rather than processed alternatives. Under the SUPOSHIT Odisha Mission, all the 74,224 anganwadi centres will be transformed into certified Suposhit anganwadis, or malnutrition-free zones.On the occasion, the department increased the allocation for uniforms and winter wear for pre-schoolers in anganwadi centres, which will be implemented from the 2026-27 academic year. She announced the hike in financial allocation under the Malati Devi Prak Vidyalaya Paridhan Yojana.Under this, while the cost of boys’ uniforms will be increased from Rs 100 to Rs 175, that of girls’ uniforms will be Rs 225 from the existing Rs 150. Similarly, the cost of shoes and socks will be increased from Rs 100 to Rs 150, and sweaters from Rs 150 to Rs 200.The revision will benefit over 14.76 lakh children across 74,224 centres, with the additional costs being fully funded by the state govt. Sources said the revision is aimed at improving the quality of uniforms and footwear supplied to anganwadi children.