Amit Shah urges Western Zonal Council states to tackle child malnutrition seriously

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], February 22 (ANI): Chairing the 27th meeting of the Western Zonal Council in Maharashtra's Pune, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday urged member states to take issues of malnutrition and stunting in children very seriously and implement all possible measures to address them.
Acknowledging that the states in the Western Zone are among the most prosperous in the country, Shah expressed concern over the prevalence of malnutrition and stunting among children and citizens in these states.
He urged the chief Ministers, ministers, and chief secretaries of the Western Zone to prioritize eliminating malnutrition to improve overall health, and emphasized that good health is not solely dependent on medicines and hospitals; rather, efforts should be made to ensure that children and citizens do not require them in the first place.
The Home Minister stressed the need for serious attention to the problem of stunting in children and called for all possible measures to resolve it.
Additionally, Shah highlighted the importance of reducing school dropout rates and enhancing the quality of education.
Union Home Minister expressed concern over the import of pulses and emphasized the need to boost domestic production. He noted that while farmers previously faced difficulties in getting fair prices for pulses, the government has now developed a mobile app that enables the direct purchase of 100 per cent of their produce at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). He urged the western states to actively promote this app and encourage farmer registrations, ensuring fair pricing and contributing to the country's self-sufficiency in pulse production.
Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Sahkar se Samriddhi', Shah emphasized that cooperation is the key to achieving 100 per cent employment in the country. He stressed the importance of strengthening Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), making them multi-dimensional, and effectively implementing more than 56 initiatives designed to realize the full potential of 'Sahkar se Samriddhi'. He urged Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa to take all necessary steps to build a robust cooperative infrastructure at the grassroots level.
Referring to the implementation of three new criminal laws, the the Home Minister emphasized that it is now time to ensure that citizens receive 100 per cent of the constitutional rights granted to them. He further stated that in the coming days, issues related to digital infrastructure and cybercrime will also be brought under the purview of the Inter State Council. He urged the states to proactively prepare for these developments.
Shah emphasized the importance of leveraging current efforts and a well-defined roadmap to drive the long-term economic development of both the country and individual states. He stressed the need to maximize growth potential by utilizing the strategic platform of regional councils to achieve 100 per cent development objectives.
A total of 18 issues were discussed in the 27th meeting of the Western Zonal Council. In the meeting, some important issues related to the member states and the country as a whole was discussed in detail. These include land transfer, mining, speedy investigation of rape cases against women and children, implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) scheme for speedy disposal of rape and POCSO Act cases, implementation of Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), bank branches/postal banking facility in every village, issues related to railway project and food security norms etc.
Apart from these, six issues of national importance were also discussed, which include - urban master plan and affordable housing, electricity operation and supply, eliminating malnutrition in children through Poshan Abhiyan, reducing drop-out rate of school children, participation of government hospitals in Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, strengthening Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). Best practices adopted by member states and UTs were also shared in the meeting.
The meeting was attended by several dignitaries, including chief ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, administrators of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The Union Home Secretary, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, Chief Secretaries of States of Western Region, and other senior officials of state and union ministries and departments also attended the meeting. (ANI)