A two-day inception workshop was organized by the Karnataka Comprehensive Nutrition Mission (KCNM) and Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (KSRSLP) on 4th and 5th March, 2014 for inter-departmental officers of the Raichur and Gulbarga Districts Zilla Parishads at the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) Campus, Bangalore. The workshop was conducted to orient the participants about the objectives, strategy and interventions in the Karnataka Comprehensive Nutrition Mission (KCNM) project to be implemented in Devadurga Block in Raichur District and Chincholi Block in Gulbarga District. As part of the workshop, the need and importance of support and convergence among inter-sectorial Government line departments, NGO’s and technical agencies impacting nutrition was emphasized. Workshop Report...

The first State High Level Committee Meeting on the Karnataka Multi Sectorial Nutrition Pilot Project was held under the Chairmanship of Hon`ble Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Govt. of Karnataka, on 6th December 2014. Proceedings of the meeting...

The Second High Level Committee Meeting of the Karnataka Multi Sectorial Nutrition Pilot Project was held under the Chairmanship of Hon`ble Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Govt. of Karnataka, on 29th April, 2015.

A paper notification No: KSRLPS/KCNM/06/2013 -14 inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) from Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) for implementing the Karnataka Comprehensive Nutrition Mission Pilot Projects at Devadurga Block, and Chincholi Blocks was published on 14th May 2014.

Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT), an NGO headquartered in Bengaluru, was selected as the implementing partner for the Project, in accordance with the World Bank Guidelines for Selection and Employment of Consultants.

Contract was signed between KHPT and KSRLPS on 03.06.2015.

KHPT Website URL - http://www.khpt.org

An effective communication strategy plays a pivotal role in bringing about attitudinal change amongst beneficiaries for acceptance and success of the project interventions. The KCNM finalized the Multi Media Communication Strategy, with the following elements:

a. Delivering key messages effectively regarding the best nutritional care for children, girls and women, providing proper nutrition information for the family, and overcoming superstition

b. Creating an understanding of the relevance of recommended health, nutrition and sanitation behaviours

c. Creating a demand for on-going health, nutrition and sanitation related schemes

M/s Akar Advertising and Marketing Pvt. Ltd., has been selected for the implementation of the Multi Media Communication Strategy activities in the Project Blocks.

The Contract with M/s Akar Advertising and Marketing Pvt. Ltd., was signed on 30-11-2015.

The Multi-Media Communication activities are being carried out in 3 Phases and the messages will be disseminated through the following media platforms:

1. Posters
2. Flip Charts
3. Wall paintings
4. Paper Advertisement
5. Radio jingles
6. TV commercials
7. Folk Media

The 1st Phase of the Media Strategy with 6 key messages was initiated from the month of May, 2016.

These are

1. Intergenerational Cycle of Malnutrition.
2. Locally available nutritious foods that should be consumed.
3. The importance of exclusive breast feeding for the first 6 months
4. The importance of complementary feeding after 6 months.
5. The Life Cycle and care of the Girl Child
6. Combating Anemia

By December end, 2015, KHPT has appointed 20 Supervisors and 421 VNVs to carry out the activities of the pilot project at both the Chincholi and Devadurga Blocks.

A four days induction training was conducted for field level implementation and project management staff at the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare from 6th to 9th July, 2015. The training introduced the participants to the conceptual, technical and implementation aspects of the project.

All Supervisors were trained in Devadurga and Chincholi on 10th and 11th September, 2015 before the VNVs training roll out.

Training Programmes were conducted for all the 421 Village Nutrition Volunteers (VNVs). The VNVs were explained the basic principles of the Project, their roles and responsibilities, how to enter data into the Nutrition Cards, convergence with ICDS, Health, Drinking Water and Sanitation Departments, monitoring growth of infants and children, of adolescent girls and pregnant women, and creating awareness about best health and nutrition practices among project beneficiaries and their households.

All the 421 village nutrition volunteers were provided with weighing scales, height measuring tapes, infant weighing machines and necessary training to use the equipment.

A household survey was conducted in 421 villages of Devadurga and Chincholi Blocks during the period from August to December, 2015, so as to identify poor, vulnerable and nutritionally deprived beneficiaries to be targeted as part of the Project.

Based on deprivation and malnutrition indicators, 37781 beneficiaries were identified in Devadurga and Chincholi Blocks.

37781 beneficiaries were registered and given Nutrition and Health Cards in Chincholi and Devadurga Blocks. The VNVs are entrusted with the responsibility of visiting the households of target beneficiaries every month, obtaining the health, nutrition, water and sanitation, and access to Government schemes, and recording them in the nutrition cards. This data will be used to assess the nutritional status of each of the beneficiaries every quarter, and the progress in convergence of nutrition impacting interventions.

From the month of January, 2016 initial IEC activities, family counselling and community awareness activities have been initiated by Village Nutrition Volunteers supported by Project Supervisors.

A Technical meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Advisor, KCNM, on 19th February 2016 to finalize the composition of the EDF to be produced and distributed to the target beneficiaries under the Project.

The EDF will be distributed as a supplement to the daily intake of the beneficiaries with the objective of bridging the Protein-Calorie-Micronutrient deficit.

A Technical Committee meeting was held on 14th July 2015 to finalize the machinery to be installed in the production units. It was decided that 2 MT capacity production units would be set up, each in one Block.

Two sites were identified for erection of EDF production machinery in Chandapur, Chincholi block and Masarkal in Devadurga Block.

A tender process was executed and M/s Pilothsmith was selected as a suitable manufacturing firm for the fabrication and erection of EDF production machinery in the production units in both the blocks.

The Production Units will be ready for commissioning by mid-August, 2016 and distribution of EDF to the target beneficiaries will commence by end of August, 2016.