The Pune Municipal Corporation has given in-principle approval to the Balantavida scheme, which will provide supplementary high-protein, iron and calcium nutrition kits to pregnant and lactating mothers from low-income households in the city.
The initiative was proposed after BJP corporators Alpana Varpe and Archana Patil approached the civic body over inadequate nutrition among economically weaker women. The PMC health department subsequently assessed the proposal’s feasibility and approved it in principle.
Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the health department will finalise the kit’s contents and establish a registration process for eligible beneficiaries. The scheme is intended to supplement, not replace, a mother’s regular meals and beneficiaries will be counselled to consume the kit themselves rather than share it with other family members.
The proposed nutrition package includes dry dates, jaggery and raisins as sources of carbohydrates, fibre and iron. Roasted pulses, soya granules and whole lentils such as moong, matki, chavali and hulge or kulith will provide protein and amino acids. Coconut, locally sourced ghee and linseeds are proposed as sources of energy and essential fats.
Almonds and cashews will contribute vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and copper, while peanuts will add plant protein. PMC said all food samples will be sent to recognised and authorised laboratories for safety and purity testing before the kits are distributed.
Beneficiary selection will be linked to registration with civic healthcare facilities. Ram said a woman will be considered only after verification of her registration and her registration with a PMC hospital. High-risk mothers, women with a low body mass index, anaemic mothers and those who deliver low-birth-weight babies will receive priority under the proposed system.
The scheme will combine the food kits with counselling and monitoring through the PMC health department. Mothers will be advised to take iron-folic acid, calcium and vitamin D supplements, complete routine maternal and child vaccinations, and follow exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months after delivery.
PMC health workers will track each mother’s weight, body mass index and haemoglobin levels. The department also plans annual evaluations based on maternal anaemia rates, postpartum weight retention, the incidence of low-birth-weight infants, exclusive breastfeeding rates and beneficiary satisfaction.
The initiative places the civic health system at the centre of identifying beneficiaries, distributing the kits and tracking health outcomes. Its implementation will depend on the final composition of the package, the registration process and the completion of laboratory testing before distribution begins.
