india

Updated: Apr 28, 2020 17:18 IST

The Uttarakhand Women and Child development (WCD) department in an effort to take better care of pregnant women will soon distribute special kits comprising items ranging from sanitary pads for mothers to warm clothes for babies, officials said.

The WCD department has already worked out the plan and will initiate it once the lockdown ends in the state, according to officials.

Rekha Arya, minister of WCD department Uttarakhand said, “The initiative would largely help the government to take better care of pregnant women. We have already identified about 30,000-40,000 pregnant women in the state who will be given the kit made by the department.”

Arya said the funds for the initiative have already been passed in this year’s budget.

“The kit which costs about Rs 900 each will have eight or nine essential items meant for the care of pregnant women and their babies. It will have sanitary pads for women, baby lotion, warm clothes for babies, baby shampoo, soaps, blanket, and a disinfectant,” she said.

The minister said the department would have distributed the kits in April only but “the lockdown got it delayed”.

“As soon as the lockdown ends, our department will deliver the kits to women at their homes which have already been identified under the initiative,” Arya said.