Udupi district has 267 malnourished children below the age of six

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi: Septemer 20, 2015: The chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Kripa Alva said recently that there were 267 malnourished children below the age of six in Udupi district.

Speaking to presspersons after holding a review meeting here, Ms. Alva said of the 267, 155 were girls. Giving the region-wise break-up of malnourished children in the district, she said there were 14 boys and 19 girls in Udupi, 20 boys and 30 girls in Brahmavar, 65 boys and 80 girls in Kundapur, and 13 boys and 26 girls in Karkala.

She said nutritious food is being given to the children in the anganwadis, such as egg and milk on certain days of the week. Their parents are also being given Rs. 750 a year to buy medicines for the children.

There are 492 children living with HIV in the district. For a single-parent child, the Department of Women and Child Development gives Rs. 650 a month; if the child is being looked after by relatives, they get Rs. 750 a month. For their education, the children get Rs. 500 annually.

As regards child labour, as many as 14 children working as child labourers had been rescued in the district this year.

On Ms. Alva’s visit to anganwadis and BCM hostels in Udupi, Padubidri and Karkala, she found the condition in the anganwadis was good. But, the hostels were not up to the mark. She had given directions to improve facilities in the BCM hostel.

Answering a query on begging of children at the bus-stands in Udupi and Manipal, she said she would take action on this issue in two months. The commission will also try to popularise the children’s helpline no: 1098, and focus on providing education to children, Ms. Alva said.