Why in news?

The State government has decided to handover ration at the doorstep of pregnant women to ensure nutritious diet in six districts in Karnataka, even as demands came to extend it across all districts.

Highlights:

• The government has ordered delivery of rations to doorstep to six hilly districts under the Matru Poorna Yojane, which was launched in 2017 by the Siddaramaiah-led government to provide nutritious diet.
• The take-home ration has replaced the system of pregnant women walking to the nearest anganwadi to get nutritious food.

Mathru Poorna Yojane

• In most of the rural areas, women who are poor are mostly affected to malnutrition which directly affects the health of the child. To have a permanent solution to this problem, the Karnataka Government has introduced this scheme.
• Announced by: Siddaramaiah
• When: 2016
• Previous name: “Mathru Pushtivardhini”
• Earlier implemented in: the taluk level
• Presently: recently in a cabinet meeting, it was decided that the scheme will be widespread up to the lower most level, i.e. the Anganwadi level

Objective –

• The motto behind the “Mathru Purna” scheme is to provide nutritious meal for at least once a day to the poor women who are lactating mothers or are pregnant.
• The scheme will also aim to bring down the infant mortality rate in the state by checking on the problems of child mal nutrition.

Key features –

1. The diet which would be provided under the scheme will have food items covering all nutritional values like rice, green vegetables, sambar / dal, egg, pulses, etc. Those beneficiaries, who are vegetarian, will have at least two types of sprouts in their daily meal.
2. Each meal will be planned according the nutritional index and the need of the beneficiary. In case the beneficiary needs special care the diet may be altered at any point of time through the local Anganwadis.

• The scheme will be applicable for a total of 15 months which will include both pre delivery as well as post-delivery phases. The scheme will cover the entire pregnancy period of maximum nine months and the lactation phase of up to six months.

Eligibility Criteria – 

• To get the benefits of the scheme, one should either be a pregnant woman. Or she must be a lactating mother. With these two conditions, they will be given at least one time meal under this scheme.
• The financial condition of the beneficiaries will be examined and only those who are living below the poverty line (BPL) and are economically weak may join the scheme.

• Also, this welfare scheme is totally sponsored by the State government of Karnataka and is meant only for those women who are permanent residents of the state. Additionally, they must be from rural areas, to become part of the project.