Palghar district authorities have launched the ‘Suposhan Sathi Palghar’ initiative to provide closer health and nutrition monitoring to 799 malnourished children, with district and panchayat-level officials assigned responsibility for individual children and their families.
The programme, announced during the district-level opening of the ninth National Nutrition Month at the Palghar Zilla Parishad, will initially focus on 65 children classified as severely malnourished, or SAM. A further 734 children identified as moderately malnourished, or MAM, will be covered in the next phase. The first phase is scheduled to run from September 15, 2026, to March 15, 2027.
Under the initiative, senior officials from the Zilla Parishad and panchayat samitis will adopt responsibility for monitoring the children. Each child will receive a health card, and officials will review health and nutrition indicators regularly. The programme includes monthly visits to children and their families, either at home or at an anganwadi centre.
During these visits, officials are expected to review immunisation, health examinations, weight and growth, access to nutritious food and the need for medicines. They will also coordinate with health workers and Accredited Social Health Activists to track treatment and follow-up care. Children may be referred to Village Child Development Centres and Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres when additional medical or protein-rich supplementary nutrition is required.
The district administration said the initiative would address household conditions alongside the child’s immediate nutritional status. Officials will assess family circumstances and prepare action plans to connect households with relevant government and Zilla Parishad schemes. The programme also envisages support for maintaining adequate supplies of grains, milk, eggs, sprouted pulses and other protein-rich foods at home.
The initiative includes guidance on hygiene, safe drinking water and childcare practices. Counselling may also be provided in cases involving substance dependence or superstition within families, according to the programme details reported by Loksatta. Improvements to facilities at anganwadi centres and access to clean drinking water are also part of the intervention.
Palghar District Collector Dr Indurani Jakhad presided over the launch programme, which was attended by Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Manoj Ranade and officials from the health, women and child development and general administration departments. Anganwadi supervisors, workers and beneficiaries were also present.
The district administration said the programme would bring together officials, the anganwadi system and local communities to improve children’s health and nutrition. Ranade urged officials and employees to participate sensitively in the campaign and work towards eliminating malnutrition in the district. Monthly reviews and household-level monitoring are expected to continue through the first phase ending on March 15, 2027.
