(ANS - Raichur) - The third and final series of consultations on the Millennium Development Goals post-2015 prepared by the Office of Planning and Development of the Province of Bangalore (BREADS) was held in Raichur, Monday, 1 July. Subject of the consultations this time was the theme, "Children and Health".

The third session, organized by BREADS in collaboration with Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS) and the network of NGOs in the district, was opened by contributions from various experts. Mr Vasudev Sharma presented the history, the meaning and context of the Millennium Development Goals. Dr Brajesh then elaborated on the child and nutrition aspects, and the various government schemes and programmes that can be availed of by the people. Ms Kammar spoke instead of the environmental aspects influencing a child`s health, and Mr. Ambanna outlined some research on marriage within blood relatives and child marriages as the primary causes of malnutrition.

Subsequently, participants were divided into 4 groups, one exclusively of children, to discuss the priority objectives to be pursued post 2015.

Recommendations from the children's group included:

1. Free health services to all without any discrimination;

2. Provision of nutritious food and clean drinking water in all the places;

3. Address the lack of personnel and facilities in health centres / anganwadis (care centres for newborn babies and children) immediately, and ensure clean maintenance of these centres;

4. Pre-natal and Post-natal facilities should be provided in all health centres;

5. Strict adherence to laws on child development and restriction of child marriages;

6. Ban vices like smoking, drinking and substance abuse.

Recommendations from the adult group:

1. Create awareness among people about malnutrition and the relationship between age-weight ratio and malnutrition;

2. Promote knowledge about the local food varieties and their usage;

3. Facilitate curbing of vices and superstitious practices, and ban the use of plastics;

4. Make provisions to have one more worker at the anganwadi centres, wherein one worker attends to children aged 0 to 6 months and the other to those aged 6 months to years;

5. Provide playgrounds and parks for children even in small villages.

Published on 11/07/2013