Prime minister Imran Khan recently launched “Ehsaas Nashonuma” program, which is a new cash transfer program aimed at addressing and preventing child malnutrition and stunted growth across the country.
Under this program, the government will be providing stipends to mothers of newly borns until they are 2 years of age, in order to ensure nutrition and healthy development.
In a press conference held last week, Special Assistant to Prime Minister, Dr. Sania Nishtar said that 40% of children in Pakistan die in the first stage of development, because of malnutrition. This is the reason why the government has launched the ‘Ehsaas Nashonuma’ program, to protect young children from stunting, and promote healthy child development.
The first phase of the Ehsaas Nashonama program will be inaugurated in the Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
She wrote on Twitter, “This is one of the 33 centers of #EhsaasNashonuma, the new #Ehsaas nutrition and health conditional cash transfer programme. District Upper Dir is one of the 9 districts where this program is commencing, and this is one of the 6 centers in District Upper Dir.”She wrote on Twitter, “This is one of the 33 centers of #EhsaasNashonuma, the new #Ehsaas nutrition and health conditional cash transfer programme. District Upper Dir is one of the 9 districts where this program is commencing, and this is one of the 6 centers in District Upper Dir.”
This is one of the 33 centers of #EhsaasNashonuma, the new #Ehsaas nutrition and health conditional cash transfer programme. District Upper Dir is one of the 9 districts where this program is commencing and this is one of the 6 centers in District Upper Dir. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/gwseqYezIy
— Sania Nishtar (@SaniaNishtar) August 11, 2020
Stunting means impaired growth and development of children, in terms of height and weight, due to poor nutrition, and increased rate of infection. Malnutrition crisis is rampant in Pakistan, with 28.9% children who are underweight, and 40.2% that are stunting.
It was further revealed by Dr Nishtar in the press conference that Rs. 1,500 will be paid every month for 2 years if a boy is born, and Rs. 2000 upon birth of a girl.
Since impaired growth and short physique has an adverse affect on the child’s mental capacity as well, Sania Nishtar said that children with a deprived physique and low mental capacity will not be able to assist in the development of the country. Which is why addressing this head on is crucial.
“Our government has prioritized children’s issues and launched a comprehensive program on them,” she said.
Two years ago, Prime Minister Imran Khan had prioritized ending malnutrition in one of his early speeches. In his very first speech to the nation, he showed CT scan of a child with malnutrition to prove that stunting impacts both physical and mental development.
Dr. Nishtar referred to poor nutrition as a ‘national tragedy’, costing Pakistan 3% of GDP, annually. The new targeted program will likely reverse this trend. Stunting becomes irreversible after 1000 days, therefore, it is imperative to address it immediately.
Many programs have been launched in the past one year and many are under realization, and will be launched soon, said the Special Assistant.
Some examples of such projects are the Ehsaas Education program that will be starting soon, under which pregnant women will be given specialized nutrition. This program is designed after one year of consultation with experts.
Stay tuned for more news and updates.
