Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that Ram Lala is going to be installed in his own temple on January 22, after 500 years. Prior to this historic occasion, the work of providing nutritious meals, on the lines of mid-day meals, to children aged 3 to 6 years in the state began from Ayodhya, signifying an auspicious beginning, he stated.
Inaugurating the at the Composite School loc‘Hot Cooked Meal Scheme’ ated at the Police Lines, the CM said: “Well-nourished and healthy children will become the basis of a strong India.”
He also laid the foundation stone of 3401 Anganwadi centers in 35 districts at a cost of Rs 403 crores. Additionally, he inaugurated a transit hostel for police personnel in Ayodhya Reserve Police Lines.
In his address, the Chief Minister highlighted that the initiative to provide hot meals with diverse menus on different days, following the model of the Mid-Day Meal, will progress with the mutual coordination of various departments.
Drawing attention to the successful eradication of encephalitis in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Minister stated that due to inter-departmental coordination, we were able to control the disease within four years, which claimed the lives of 50,000 children in 40 years.
The Chief Minister explained that there are 1.90 lakh Anganwadi centers operating in the state, with more than two crore beneficiaries registered. These centers provide six types of services. For the first time in the state, the auspicious work of providing hot cooked meals to 80 lakh children aged 3 to 6 years is being started.
Addressing the Anganwadi workers and helpers present at the program, the Chief Minister said, “Children are the form of God. You are fortunate because, like Yashoda Ma in the Dwapara Yuga, who nurtured Krishna in his childhood, you are serving and taking responsibility for the nourishment and health of hundreds of Kanhas, contributing to the basis of a strong India.”
He further said that there is still room for further improvement, and continuous efforts are required. Healthy children are not only the responsibility of the Women and Child Development Department, but the Panchayati Raj and Urban Development Department should also be involved in it.