Where is the nutrition? Ask pregnant women in a village of Bihar

Where is the nutrition? Ask pregnant women in a village of Bihar

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The law guarantees Kavita Devi 500 calories of nutritious diet during pregnancy. She is still waiting for it. http://bit.ly/1J2cRFl

One expecting mother dies every ten minutes in India. Where is the nutrition? Know more. http://bit.ly/1J2cRFl

The law guarantees Kavita Devi 500 calories of nutritious diet on a daily basis. She is now eight months pregnant and she is asking one simple question – where is the nutrition?

A resident of Bajrangbali village, Sadar block, Munger district, Bihar, Kavita Devi has been given only a couple of iron tablets and two vaccinations.

Apart from this she has not been given any help or information on nutrition. She does not receive a routine health check up or blood pressure checks. 

Pregnant women living below poverty line in India are entitled to two government schemes -- Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK). 

Under them they are entitled: 

  • Free and cashless delivery
  • Free drugs and consumables
  • Free diet during stay in the health institutions

The ground report by Video Volunteer (VV) community correspondent, Sheela Shaikh highlights how an anganwadi (child care) centre has stopped receiving rations.

This series on community monitoring of maternal health is supported by Oxfam India.

 

One expecting mother dies every ten minutes in India. In 2014, 56,000 women died during childbirth in India.

When asked, do you receive the ration entitled for pregnant women? Kavita replies ‘No’.

An anganwadi worker, Sheela Devi, complains that they have not received any food rations for the past two years. Even the anganwadi workers are still waiting for their salaries. 

“We have not been receiving rations for the past two years and now for the third year we have not received anything,” said Sheela Devi.

 

Written by: Oxfam India staff

Video source: Video Volunteers

 

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