Thaindian News

Patna, March 22 (IANS) After roads and law and order, Bihar is turning its attention to the health of its children. As part of its Bihar Divas celebrations, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will Tuesday launch a mega health scheme targeted at the 3.4 crore children in the state, officials said.

Under the ‘Nayee Peedhi Swasthya Guarantee Karyakram’ (New Generation Health Guarantee Programme), children up to 14 years of age and adolescent girls will be provided a health card for their medical check-up and treatment free of cost at government hospitals.

“Soon after inaugurating Bihar Divas at Gandhi Maidan, Nitish Kumar will begin distributing health cards to children,” an official of the Chief Minister’s Office told IANS.

“This mega health scheme will check malnutrition, anaemia and childhood reproductive problems,” Principal Health Secretary Amarjit Sinha said.

The government planned to distribute health cards by Oct 2 this year, he added.

However, he admitted that reaching out to all the children was a challenging task.

“Special camps would be organised in government schools and sub-primary health centres to distribute these cards,” he said.

According to the World Health Organisation, 55 percent of Indian children suffer from malnutrition-related diseases before attaining the age of three. The percentage could be higher in Bihar.

The historic Gandhi Maidan here is being readied for grand celebrations to mark Bihar Divas Tuesday to commemorate carving of the separate Bihar province by the British rulers from the Bengal Presidency March 22, 1912. In Patna, thousands of people are expected to gather at the grounds from Tuesday to Thursday.

Nitish Kumar will kickstart the celebrations by lighting 99 lamps to mark the 99th anniversary of the state. He has declared that the state will mark its centenary in 2012 with programmes throughout the year.