The Karnataka government is all set to launch a flagship programme “Arogya Nandana” under which 1.5 crore children will be screened ahead of the third Covid wave, Minister for Health Dr K. Sudhakar announced in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Experts have expressed fears of a possible third wave of Covid-19 affecting children. Keeping in view of the projections, the state government is launching a new programme called “Arogya Nandana”. The flagship programme is an attempt to reach out to all 1.5 crore children of the state.

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“Under this scheme, all children will be undergoing health screening. The children with malnutrition, immunity issues will be identified and in coordination with the Women and Child Welfare department, we will see to it that children get necessary nutrients and food supply which will provide them immunity from Covid,” Sudhakar explained.

The state government, in its remaining 21 months, is intending to bring about complete change. No other government in Karnataka has recruited 4,000 doctors in a period of 4.5 months and it has been done, he added.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will inaugurate the programme and plans of the project are ready. “This is CM Bommai’s dream. The project has been implemented in Haveri and Udupi districts where he was the district in-charge minister before. The project has been extended to the whole state now. Over 1.5 crore children will be screened across the state and the government has the infrastructure to reach out to all of them,” Sudhakar said.

Since it is suspected that 28 lakh people who were affected with coronavirus and later recovered face the threat of being infected with Tuberculosis. The government has already launched another flagship programme to conduct tests to ascertain whether this section of people got affected with Tuberculosis, he explained.

“Early detection and treatment help us to contain Tuberculosis spreading on a large scale. In the last 5 years, the infection rate has increased by 33 per cent. I call upon those who were infected with Covid and got better to take up testing voluntarily which is available freely,” he said.