Odisha government has launched Strategy for Odisha’s Pathway to Accelerated Nutrition (SOPHAN) scheme to bring improvement in the nutrition status of adolescent girls, pregnant and nursing women and children in the state.
SOPAN will be implemented in 125 hard to reach blocks across 22 districts in the state. As per the Statesman report, An investment of Rs 1000.00cr has been planned for the strategy in the next 5 years. A special intervention package comprising supplementary nutrition and testing and treatment for anaemia for adolescent girls in the 14-19 yrs age category who are yet to be covered under the SAG scheme will be implemented. Under the scheme, pregnant and nursing women will be provided with an extra hot meal which is in addition to the entitlements under the supplementary nutrition programme.
Children (0-3yrs) will be covered under creches in inaccessible areas and will be provided with meals, health checkup care and stimulation over and above their regular entitlements under SNP. The scheme proposes to undertake a drive for early screening through Ojan Utsav and provisioning of modified food for SAM children and modified THR to the MAM children. Annual nutrition survey planned under the strategy will help in tracking the nutrition indicators and taking appropriate steps for improvement.
