Priority to Women & Child Welfare: Tummala

The State government was implementing many welfare schemes for the development of women and children in the State, Minister for Women and Child Welfare Tummala Nageshwar Rao has said.

Speaking at a high-level review meeting at NAC in Hitec City here on Wednesday, the minister said Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was offering timely help and financial assistance to the actual and deserving beneficiaries like women, children, old aged persons and physically disabled under various welfare schemes.

The State Government has allocated Rs 1553 crore for women and child welfare wing for 2016-17, while it was Rs 1560 crore during 2015-16 and Rs 1,500 crore for 2014-15. Under Integrated Child Development Scheme, about 10.06 lakh children of zero to six years were benefited in terms of nutritious food, healthcare and education through Anganawadis, he said.

The minister also maintained that 5.79 lakh children from zero to 7 years age group received strength food from 35,700 Anganawadi centers and benefited 4.38 lakhs of women and girls under Kalyana Lakshmi and related schemes in the state he said. The government is also spending Rs 508 cr for the benefit of lactating and pregnant women. He claimed that mortality rate of infants was brought down to 28 per cent against 1000 births in the state while it was 48 at national level. Similarly the mortality rate during delivery by women in hospitals has been reduced to 92 against 167 at national level per one lakh of deliveries being reported he added. At districts vocational training being offered to1000 women in computers, tailoring, fashion technology, food processing, car driving and set up three observation homes for street children and juvenile welfare and scholarships to 500 persons of 21 hostels. Physically disabled are being supplied with tri-cycles, bicycles, Jaipur Foot, walking sticks, hearing aids, i-pads, phones and laptops. (NSS)