Odisha Mobilises 6,000 NSS Volunteers for Statewide Child Nutrition Survey

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is set to leverage its network of National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers to strengthen grassroots-level nutrition monitoring, with around 6,000 women volunteers preparing to collect nutrition-related data of children enrolled at nearly 23,000 Anganwadi centres across the state.

The initiative is being undertaken under the Suposhit Odisha Abhiyan, with a dedicated training programme organised at Jayadev Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday to prepare volunteers for the field-level exercise.

The programme was jointly organised by the State NSS Cell under the Higher Education Department and the Women and Child Development Department. NSS volunteers, district nodal officers and programme officers participated in the training.

The exercise will be rolled out in phases, with the first phase involving approximately 6,000 women NSS volunteers. The volunteers will visit Anganwadi centres to gather nutrition-related information on enrolled children, providing grassroots-level inputs for the state’s nutrition initiatives.

Addressing the programme, Women and Child Development Commissioner-cum-Secretary Mrinalini Darswal highlighted the role of NSS volunteers in supporting the state’s efforts to improve child nutrition.

She said the training was intended to familiarise volunteers with the responsibilities entrusted to them and equip them with the skills required for systematic and effective collection of nutrition-related information.

The data collection initiative is expected to help strengthen the understanding of nutrition-related issues among children at the grassroots level and support more targeted interventions under the Suposhit Odisha Abhiyan.

Higher Education Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Arvind Agrawal extended his best wishes to the volunteers and expressed confidence that their participation would make a meaningful contribution to Odisha’s efforts towards building a healthier and better-nourished population.

Director of Higher Education Kali Prasanna Mahapatra, Deputy Secretary Ramesh Chandra Behera and Regional Director of the NSS Regional Directorate Ajit Kumar Kushwaha, along with other officials, were present at the training programme.