Pilot project on fish in nutrition programme caught in red-tape

Baripada: The Odisha government’s  plan to introduce indigenous small fish in the supplementary nutrition programme for children, pregnant and nursing women and adolescent girls as part of a pilot project in Mayurbhanj district is caught in red-tape and yet to take off despite the passage of a year.

The Odisha government selected Mayurbhanj district to launch the pilot programme, which was scheduled to start across 50 Anganwadi centres in the district. However, instead of getting implemented the scheme is now caught in red-tapism.

Fish is rich in iron, zinc, calcium, vitamins (A, B, D and E) and omega-3 fatty acids, which would benefit children between three to six years, pregnant and nursing women, and adolescent girls, officials said. Fishes would be procured from the women self-help groups, creating business opportunities for them too, they informed.

Reports said that the state Women and Child Development Department, Mission Shakti and Fisheries Department signed a memorandum with international non-profit organisation ‘WorldFish’ to implement the project in 50 Anganwadi centres in Mayurbhanj district from November 10, 2020.

After implementation of the project, the Odisha government had planned to train the self-help group women involved in fish cultivation in panchayat ponds on nutritional value of fish and fish processing. It had also decided to launch social and behavioural awareness programmes on fish consumption under the nutrition programme.

In the memorandum, there were plans to train the self-help group women of coastal districts where fish production is high in drying of fish through solar powered equipment and in preparation of fish powder on the basis of guidelines of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The programme when implemented would have provided livelihood opportunities to over 84,000 women of 42,058 self-help groups working in the district. At the time of signing of memorandum, Sujata Kartikeyan, director, Mission Shakti, had said that this programme will prove highly beneficial in ensuring sufficient nutrition to the beneficiaries and in creation of livelihood opportunities for the women of self-help groups.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Garreth Jhonstone, director general of WorldFish, had said that technical experts would provide training on drying of fish with solar powered equipment in clean and hygienic environment to the self-help group women. However, since then a year has passed but the project is yet to be implemented.

Bishnupriya Das, president of Mission Shakti in Mayurbhanj district, said that no woman from any self-help group has been provided with training yet. The project would have been implemented in other districts if it had reaped success in Mayurbhanj district.

Some women members of self-help groups alleged that the state government has launched various schemes for the women but their implementation is getting delayed due to apathetic attitude of the concerned department officials.