providing tablets and other supplements, while Ayush will focus on giving nutritional foods to increase digestion and nutrition absorption efficacy. He said, “For example, food substances such as ghee, drumstick leaves, figs, raisins among others”. A specialized panel of Ayurveda doctors has been formed already, and these experts will decide on the children’s nutrition. For the current financial year, the government has set aside INR 5 crore for the initiative.
According to the official, “We have now written to the government stating that the Ayush department will provide the technical know-how, while the Department of Women and Child Development can be in charge of implementation. This is because the DWCD already has an existing network of Anganwadi workers who can be roped in for distribution of the food items”.
If the pilot program is successful, it will be expanded to additional districts in the future. In the meantime, the government has asked corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding and partners to help advance the program. According to government data posted on the Akanksha platform, over 50% of the kids in Yadgir and Raichur regions are anemic. The government also intends to increase the additional nourishment offered to pregnant mothers under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
However, a project representative from the Health Department told the media that Ayurvedic medication cannot always be a replacement to allopathic care. He said, “Ayurvedic treatment can be introduced in only mild and moderate cases of anaemia. The treatment of acute cases will require intervention of other medication”.
