Bongaigaon bags PM’s prize for excellence in public administration

April 18: In a grand achievement, Bongaigaon district has been selected for the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration, 2021 for its initiative ‘Sampoorna’ in the category ‘Innovation- District’.

The project is aimed at reducing malnutrition among children in Bongaigaon district. It employs a decentralised, technology- based model using community participation and women empowerment as positive deviance factor to achieve the result and has successfully brought 95.6 per cent malnourished children to normal state in just one year and the results are sustainable by way of empowerment of the mothers of the children.

There are some key aspects of Project Sampoorna. It assessed and identified 2,416 malnourished children and mothers. 95.6 per cent of malnourished children became normal just in one year. Google live sheets and Whatsapp were used to update and monitor data captured. A simplified 6×6 vinyl printed WHO Colour coated Growth Chart (weight/ height) for boys and girls was put up in each Anganwadi Centre. These centres assessed and identified Severe Acute Malnourished (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnourished (MAM) children using WHO growth chart as compared to less effective underweight children being identified using the weight for age growth chart used all over the country. Mothers of these children were also identified. Each of them was tagged with the mother of healthy child and each healthy mother was called as Buddy Mother.

Buddy pairs were given questionnaires before the project started to assess their knowledge. The mothers were then given training on best practices including best indigenous food practices. The same questionnaire was given after six months to assess their present knowledge. To ensure children don’t relapse into malnutrition again, a convergence between ICDS and National Rural Livelihood Mission was done by involving all mothers in Self-Help Groups. They ensured regular income through livelihood activities for empowerment of the mothers and sustenance of the efforts to avoid and manage malnutrition.

After three months of active intervention using protein supplements, 88 per cent of SAM children became healthy and 96 per cent MAM children became healthy. By this 2,416 pairs of Buddy Mothers were created. Only 1,178 children were newly identified to be malnourished in September, 2021 as compared to 2416 in September, 2020.

Dr. M S Lakshmi Priya, IAS, District Collector of Bongaigaon, would be presented the Award for the above Project by the Prime Minister of India on the Civil Services Day to be held in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on April 21 on behalf of the District.