The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Priority to women and child welfare in Budget: Minister

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Priority to women and child welfare in Budget: Minister

Staff Reporter

Government to announce several schemes for them

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Raising awareness: People at an exhibition to mark World Population Day, in Bangalore on Friday.

Bangalore: Women and Child Welfare Minister P.M. Narendraswamy said on Friday that the State Government would give priority to women and child welfare in its Budget for 2008-09 and several new schemes in this regard were likely to be announced.

Speaking after inaugurating a function organised by the Department of Health and Family Welfare to mark World Population Day, the Minister said the Bhagyalakshmi scheme for women would be strengthened. “A newer version of the Bhagyalakshmi scheme will be announced in the Budget,” he said.

He also touched upon the adverse sex ratio in the country and stressed the need for women’s literacy. “Population can be controlled if women are educated,” he said.

Transport Minister R. Ashok, who was the former Health and Family Welfare Minister, said that the Government was distributing medicines and nutritious food items worth Rs. 1,000 to pregnant women from backward communities. “This programme is being successfully implemented in the backward districts of Chamarajanagar, Bijapur, Gulbarga and Bidar,” he added.

That apart, parents of children born in government hospitals would get Rs. 500 for nourishing the newborns, the Minister said.

“The State Government’s ‘Madilu’ programme for mothers will be strengthened. Health Minister B. Sriramulu is keen on modifying the scheme. Though we have taken up various health and family welfare programmes, they have not been successful as expected because of lack of community participation,” he said.

The Minister said that the growing population could be controlled only if people gave a thought to the disadvantages of population explosion.

“If we do not control population now, I am afraid we might have a shortage of foodgrains in future,” the Minister said.

Mr. Ashok welcomed Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s decision to provide training to all Ministers in administration at the Indian Institute of Management.

“The training would help Ministers to function in a better manner and also become less dependent on the officials,” he added.

Health and Family Welfare Secretary M. Madan Gopal, Commissioner P.N. Sreenivasachary, Director Usha Vasunkar and Project Director of National Rural Health Mission Nilay Mitash were present.

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