Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has directed senior officials to establish breastfeeding cabins in both offices and public places across the state.
Additional Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department Reena Mohapatra has issued a letter instructing all Principal Secretaries, Directors, and District Collectors to ensure the setup of these cabins.
According to the directive, secretaries and directors will oversee the installation of breastfeeding cabins in government offices, while district collectors are responsible for ensuring these facilities are available in public spaces and private institutions.
This initiative follows the state’s observation of World Breastfeeding Week from August 1 to August 7. Dr. Sanjukta Sahoo, Director of Family Welfare, emphasized the importance of breastfeeding, noting that breast milk provides essential antibodies that protect infants from diseases and serves as their first source of nutrition. She also highlighted that breastfeeding benefits both mothers and babies, contributing to lifelong health and development.
Odisha has already shown commendable progress in this area. The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) reports that 68.5% of infants in the state are breastfed within the first hour of birth, significantly higher than the national average of 41.8%.
Additionally, 72.9% of infants in Odisha are exclusively breastfed for the first six months, compared to the national average of 63.7%.
This latest directive is part of a series of progressive measures taken by the new BJP-led state government, which recently approved one day’s paid menstrual leave for women employees on August 16.
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