Governance / Odisha CM Reviews Health, Nutrition and Education Under PRAYASS Initiative

Bhubaneswar, Oct 8: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday chaired a high-level review meeting under the newly launched initiative, PRAYASS (PRoactive Governance Attempt for Yielding Results and Advancing Social Sector), aimed at addressing challenges and accelerating development in Odisha’s social sector, officials said.

The meeting, held at Lok Seva Bhawan, focused on improving outcomes in three critical sectors: health, women and child development, and school education. Senior officials discussed strategies to identify grassroots-level issues and evolve sustainable and timely solutions through a structured governance platform.

Emphasising the importance of human development indicators, CM Majhi said that a strong society can be built only through better healthcare, improved nutrition and quality education. He directed the concerned departments to intensify efforts to enhance service delivery and strengthen field-level implementation.

Focus on Maternal and Child Health

The Chief Minister stressed the need to bring maternal mortality rates down to the lowest possible level and called upon the Health Department to adopt a mission-mode approach. He also urged officials to take concerted measures to reduce infant and neonatal mortality rates.

CM Majhi highlighted the importance of ensuring quality healthcare facilities for pregnant women and newborns, particularly in rural and remote areas. He also emphasised strengthening emergency medical services and enhancing accountability among healthcare personnel.

Push for ‘Suposhita Odisha’

Addressing concerns over child malnutrition, the Chief Minister directed officials to further intensify the ‘Suposhita Odisha’ campaign. He noted that malnutrition continues to contribute to issues such as stunting and wasting among children.

He also underlined the importance of maintaining quality standards and effective monitoring of nutritional supplements and food provided through Anganwadi centres across the State.
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Improving Foundational Learning

In the education sector, Majhi called for focused efforts to improve foundational learning among children from the primary level. He advised teachers to prioritise classroom teaching and core academic activities to ensure better learning outcomes.

The Chief Minister expressed confidence that strengthened foundational education would significantly improve the academic performance of students in the long run.

Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Development Commissioner D.K. Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Saswata Mishra, Health Secretary Aswathy S., School and Mass Education Secretary N. Thirumala Naik, and Director of ICDS and Social Welfare Monisha Banerjee, among other senior officials, attended the meeting.