19,000 slum households get nutritional support

RAJSHAHI, Sept 17 (BSS): Around 19,000 slum and extreme poor families were brought under health and nutritional support programme aiming at bringing them out from the vicious circle of malnutrition in the city.

The three-year scheme is being implemented since October, 2012 at a cost of around Tk 401.2 million in order to substantial reduction of uterine physical and mental disabilities besides supplementing the national efforts to prevent maternal and infant death.

It is malnutrition, which puts the children into a state of compulsion to usually suffer from psychological impairment and different forms of mental disorders that appears as a threat to their future development.

Some of the major nutritional problems in the city like protein energy malnutrition, vitamin A deficiency, iodine deficiency disorder, iron deficiency anemia, low birth weight, over nutritional and its complication and lack of nutrition knowledge are thought to be removed with the intervention.

Ajahar Ali, chief executive officer of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), said the nutrition programme is being implemented as a component of Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction Project (UPPRP).

Local Government Engineering Department has been implementing the UPPRP in association with UNDP and financial and technical supports from UKaid and UNHabitat with the main thrust of improving the living and livelihood condition of around two and half lakh poor and extreme poor people, especially women and girls, in the city.