https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

This IAS Officer Is Fighting Malnutrition with Door-to-Door Counseling

Indian Masterminds Stories

In Haryana’s Hisar district, it’s a common sight these days to see Additional Deputy Commissioner Swapnil Ravindra Patil and teams of Anganwadi workers going door to door to counsel young mothers about the need to feed nutritious diet to their children, so that they are not malnourished.

Indian Masterminds interacted with the 2017-batch IAS officer to know more about this unique initiative to fight malnourishment.

2017-batch IAS officer IAS Swapnil Ravindra Patil, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Hisar

TARGET 395 TO 0

Mr. Patil informed that there are 395 children in Hisar district who are suffering from malnutrition. Some of these children fall in the category of ‘Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and some in the category of ‘moderate acute malnutrition’ (MAM). “Our entire focus is on the health of these children. We plan to send our supervisor door to door to counsel mothers on how to fight malnutrition in children with nutritious food.”

Although there are government schemes to provide nutritious food to the women and children of rural areas through Anganwadi centres, the office feels this is not enough. “Our aim is to counsel them on what to eat to fight malnutrition for a better effect so that we win this battle soon. We have bajra (Millet) foods in abundance and bajra is an effective weapon against malnutrition. So, we are telling them to eat things made from Bajra.”

LEADING FROM THE FRONT

Mr. Patil himself is doing counselling in the field,thereby encouraging everyone. He says, “I am meeting the mothers myself, because when the senior officials themselves reach the village and encourage them, they feel that the government is making extra efforts and they should also contribute. At the same time, children coming to Anganwadi are also being fed separately with nutritious food. We are telling them about easy-to-make nutritious food like peanut butter. We are hopeful that we will soon get these children out of malnutrition.”

TIE UP WITH AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

The officer also plans to tie up with Haryana Agricultural University in Hisar. It houses the Centre of Excellence Bajra Product Department. He hopes to gather information from this department about nutritious food. “After working closely with the department, we can chalk out a more effective nutrition plan. We can provide Bajra Biscuit, Bajra Cake etc. to the children. This is expected to increase the nutritional level of the children. Also, very often, the food that children get are eaten by others in the family. Therefore, emphasis is also being laid on counselling that the food meant for children should be eaten only by them.”

FAMILY PLANNING IMPORTANT

The special feature of this initiative is that many objectives are being taken up under one umbrella. Family planning is one of them. Mr. Patil says, “There are girls who get married at a young age and have three or four children.In such cases, the children are usually victims of malnutrition. Hence, we are counselling young mothers about the need for family planning. When a girl marries at a young age, her body is not well prepared for motherhood and the risk of children becoming malnourished increases. With proper counselling, we hope to educate people about the ills of marrying off girls at a very young age, the need for family planning, and the importance of feeding proper diet to children.” 


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
IAS Ajitabh Sharma
“80% of Time Spent on Non-Core Tasks”: Rajasthan Principal Secretary Ajitabh Sharma Questions IAS Work Culture, Calls for Reform
Nitin Gadkari
India to Become Net Energy Exporter in 6-7 Years, Highlights Hydrogen and Biofuels: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Bank of India - BOI
Bank of India Plans to Raise Rs 20,000 Crore via Infrastructure Bonds in FY 2025-26
BEML Limited
For Operational Excellence, BEML Lays Foundation of State-of-the-Art Central Warehousing Centre in Bilaspur
rec-logo
Green Energy Boost: REC Forms New Subsidiary for 3GW Ananthapuram-II REZ Transmission Project
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat
CM Bhupendra Patel’s Pro-People Move: Uniform House Tax of ₹200 Annually for Rural Government-Assisted Homes in Gujarat
CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar: Gaya to Become Bihar’s Largest Industrial Township Under AKIC; ₹16,524 Cr Investment Expected
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
Iran Is Weakest Now, Needs a Face-Saver
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
IAS Ajitabh Sharma
“80% of Time Spent on Non-Core Tasks”: Rajasthan Principal Secretary Ajitabh Sharma Questions IAS Work Culture, Calls for Reform
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT