Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U T Khader said his department is mooting a proposal to introduce protein-rich food along with the grains supplied in ration shops.
He was speaking after inaugurating the third edition of a national conference on bringing Evidence into Public Health Policy’ (EPHP-2016) on Thursday. Khader said he was aware of the shortcomings in the health of people as a former minister of health and family welfare.
“Malnutrition is a cause of concern in the state and protein deficiency is the most common problem. Hence, we are contemplating on having protein-rich food supplied as well,” he added.
Khader spoke about the need to create awareness in this regard. “A healthy mother will mean a healthy child. If the mother suffers from malnutrition, the child will also be put at a high risk,” he observed.
The minister also jovially remarked that when a person becomes “Ex” minister, then Ex must stand for Extraordinary. He said this after Dr Vishal Rao from the Institute of Public Institute spoke in praise of his achievement.
Scientific sessions, panel discussions and dialogues with policymakers mark the conference programme on July 8 and 9 at the Hotel Chancery Pavilion. The conference has been organised by the city-based Institute of Public Health and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Belgium) in partnership with the Government of Karnataka, Indian Council on Medical Research (Government of India), National Health Systems Resource Centre (Government of India) and Because Health (Belgian platform for global health).