Anna Amrutha Hastham scheme to cover entire AP

Sunday, May 7, 2017 
Visakhapatnam

‘Anna Amrutha Hastham’ scheme meant to provide nutritious food to pregnant and lactating women will now be extended to all the ICDS centres across the State.

The free meal provided to the beneficiaries includes an egg and 200 ml milk daily along with rice, dal and vegetables. It provides more than 40 per cent of the day’s calorie/protein/calcium requirement for the pregnant and lactating women.

The scheme that was launched on January 1, 2013 was extended to 9,156 main Anganwadi centres, 4,793 in 104 ICDS centres in all the 13 districts. It will benefit to 4.46 lakh pregnant and lactating women. The cost of meal is Rs.13 per day per beneficiary for 300 days per annum involving an amount of Rs.173.94 crore of additional budgetary allocation.

The Women and Child Welfare is introducing biometric system of the beneficiaries to ward off malpractices to reduce the estimated cost by 30 per cent. The Special Commissioner, Women and Child Welfare Department accorded permission for expansion of the scheme to the remaining 153 ICDS projects.