Vishakhapatanam: The haemoglobin levels of pregnant women registered in anganwadi centers have improved to 13 per cent from 10 per cent in Vizianagaram district, according to a study.
The study revealed that this was due to consumption of fortified rice on a regular basis.
Vizianagaram district women and child welfare project director Rajeswari said “We have tested the hemoglobin levels of Anganwadi pregnant women in the sixth and ninth month of their pregnancy. We have found more than 25 per cent improvement. Fortified rice is one of the reasons for this achievement.”
District collector A. Surya Kumari said that nearly 1.45 lakh metric tonnes of fortified rice were supplied to all eligible consumers through the public distribution system.
The district was selected for implementation of the distribution of the fortified rice on an experimental basis based on a survey done by the National Family Health Data-4.
According to the survey, nearly 78.7 per cent of children and 75.5 per cent of women were suffering from anemia in the district, which is the highest among districts in the state.
“The government then selected Vizianagaram for supply of fortified rice, which we have been doing from April 2020,” the Collector said and added that this variety was rich in iron, folic acid and vitamin B-12.
“A total of 6.99 lakh ration cardholders received 34,277 metric tonnes of the fortified rice from June to August this year,” said an official from the department of civil supplies, Vizianagaram.
