SILCHAR, Dec 10 - Mission Uttaran, a special innovative project taken up by the District Health Society, Cachar, to reduce maternal and child mortality rate in the tea estates (TEs) of the district, was launched by Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli at the Coomber Tea Estate.
According to the District Health Society, the high maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate in the TEs necessitated the formulation of a strategy to improve the health parameters.
The project has been conceptualised by Rahul Ghose of NHM, Cachar. Under the Mission, there will be an Uttaran group in all labour lines constituted by involving mothers, ASHAs, ANMs, AWWs, Jeevika Sakhis, Bagan Panchayat members, SHGs, etc. The group will work for mobilising resources for the benefit of mothers and children. In every tea garden, there will be a Nodal Medical Officer who will be the �single point of contact� for its implementation. Issues related to health, nutrition, pure drinking water, girl education, women�s empowerment, etc., would be the priority for the Uttaran group.
District Health Department sources said that initially, 28 tea estates have been taken up under the Mission and the remaining ones will be covered in later phases.
Deputy Commissioner Jalli, while addressing a large gathering of women and adolescent girls during the launch, said, �I request you to act as a catalyst at your family level, and taking care of women and children in your family should be your first priority. Government departments will extend all possible support to bring a radical change in the tea gardens but you all have to take the Mission Uttaran as a Jan Andolan to improve yourself.�
She appealed to the people to take a pledge that no mother and child should die due to ignorance or lack of information. She said the departments of Health, Social Welfare, PHE, Education and NRLM will play significant roles to meet the objectives of the Mission.
ADC (Health) Sumit Sattawan, Joint Director of Health Services Dr Sudip Jyoti Das, District Social Welfare Officer Saswati Shome, tea garden managers, officials from the Health, NHM and other concerned departments attended the launch event.
