'800 children in Kolar district malnourished'
The Zilla Panchayat has implemented measures to deal with the problem of malnutrition, said the ZP chief executive officer S M Zulfikarullah.
He inaugurated a programme to promote a malnutrition-related project of the Information Department at Nangali in the taluk recently. The project is being undertaken in 100 villages under the Bangalore Rural Division.
“All children below six years of age are being checked up, following the report submitted by the committee headed by Justice N K Patil. Children suffering from malnutrition will be identified and various programmes implemented through the anganwadi centres in the district. Nutrition value of the food given to the children is being improved already with the addition of ragi balls and bananas to the meals,” said Zulfikarullah. “The district is found to have at least 800 undernourished children, who require special care,” rued the CEO.
Housing facilities
Local legislator Amaresh said that houses are being constructed for 7,500 beneficiaries living below poverty line. The project costs Rs 56 crore. “Construction of road between Peddoor and Mallanayakanahalli in the taluk will be undertaken at Rs three-crore expenditure. The Morarji Desai Residential School is being constructed at Rs five-crore,” Amaresh added.
The national highway will be extended to Nangali, as accorded by the government. “The national highway connecting Mangalore to Tamil Nadu will now pass through Mulbagal,” added Amaresh.
Taluk Panchayat executive officer Dr Venkataswamy, Zilla Panchayat member Alavelamma, Taluk Panchayat member Peddoor Venkataram, Gram Panchayat vice-president Dhanalakshmamma, PLD Bank former chairperson Venkatesh Gowda, GP former president G V Vishwanath Reddy, Information Department deputy director R Saraswathi were present on the occasion.
Department senior assistant director C M Ranga Reddy welcomed the gathering. Shimoga Information Department assistant director G Himantha Raju gave the vote of thanks.
Assistance required
The Union government has made it mandatory for every family to open bank accounts and also add toilets when constructing houses, reminded Dr Venkataswamy. “There is no need to even keep any deposit now, to open an account. The taluk panchayat will also give Rs 10,000 to each family to construct the toilets.”
He inaugurated an interactive session on financial literacy recently, at the Taluk Panchayat auditorium. The programme was organised at the Taluk Panchayat auditorium jointly by the Information Department and Mulbagal branch of Canara Bank.
Lead Bank district manager Reddaiah Raju said as many as 8,000 bank accounts without deposit had been opened in 30 different panchayats. “There have been instructions to open 24,000 such bank accounts,” he said.
