Raipur, February 16, 2026: The Chhattisgarh government has launched a pilot project in six districts, assigning women self-help groups the task of preparing ready-to-eat food to address malnutrition and empower women in the state.
Under this initiative, women self-help groups have been assigned the task of preparing nutritious food for Anganwadis in Raigarh, Bastar, Dantewada, Balodabazar, Korba, and Surajpur districts.
Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai stated that the state government has decided to entrust the production and distribution of supplementary nutrition (ready-to-eat) for Anganwadi centers to women self-help groups.
42 women self-help groups in six districts of the state have been assigned the task of producing and distributing ready-to-eat food, Sai said.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, this mission of women’s empowerment and malnutrition eradication is being implemented as a pilot project in six districts of the state – Bastar, Dantewada, Balodabazar, Korba, Raigarh, and Surajpur.
Raigarh has become the first district in the state where women’s groups have initiated ready-to-eat food production. This initiative will provide a new direction for both women’s economic prosperity and children’s health.
According to information received from the Women and Child Development Department, 10 self-help groups in Korba have been assigned the task of preparing ready-to-eat food. Similarly, 10 self-help groups in Raigarh, 7 self-help groups each in Surajpur and Balodabazar-Bhatapara districts, 6 self-help groups in Bastar district, and 2 women self-help groups in Dantewada have been assigned the task of provide ready-to-eat food.
These self-help groups are preparing and distributing ready-to-eat nutritional supplements for Anganwadi centers.
Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Rajwade stated that the women in these groups will now not only provide nutritious food to Anganwadi children but will also increase their income through this work, empowering them economically. This scheme is a major step towards self-employment and social and economic empowerment for women.
She stated that this is an important and result-oriented initiative by the state government to ensure better health and nutritional security for children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
Minister Rajwade stated that this decision will play an important role in improving the state’s nutrition level by providing nutritious food to children.
