Jajpur, : Tata Steel Foundation in collaboration with District Health Administration, Jajpur, has started the implementation of “Ni-kshay Mitra Program” in the Jajpur district of Odisha. The campaign was initiated on December 09, 2022. The campaign will end in October 2023.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ambika Nanda, Head Odisha, Tata Steel Foundation said, “TSF is working closely with district administration of Jajpur, Odisha to reach out the people who have been infected with TB to support adequate nutrition supplements. We are starting with supplements support for 797 persons of Jajpur district in coordination with the district administration.”
It may be noted here that as part of the collaboration, Tata Steel Foundation has registered on the Ni-kshay portal for identified cases in various blocks of Odisha and Jharkhand. Under this, Tata Steel Foundation will provide nutritional support for identified TB patients, as a nutritional kit every month. These recommended kits will contain mostly protein rich diets and will comprise Chana dal (1.5 Kg), Toor dal (1.5 Kg), Masoor dal (1.5 Kg), Ground Nuts (0.5 Kg), Soyabean (300gm) and Jaggery (1 Kg).
In order to increase community involvement in achieving the goal of eradicating TB by 2025, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) launched the ‘Community Support to TB Patients- Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat’. With the help of an online web management system, the Ni-kshay Mitra Program, TB patients are linked up with different Ni-kshay donors, for treatment with the help of community support. The community includes cooperative societies, corporates, elected representatives, individuals, institutions, and non-governmental organizations among other community stakeholders.