The campaign aims to strengthen rural health services and make villages healthier, disease-free and self-reliant through active public participation, an official statement said on Tuesday
The decision was approved in the state cabinet meeting held on Tuesday. Representational Pic/File/iStock
The Maharashtra government has approved an ambitious new health campaign called “My Village, Healthy Village”, led by state Health Minister Prakash Abitkar.
The campaign aims to strengthen rural health services and make villages healthier, disease-free and self-reliant through active public participation, an official statement said on Tuesday.
The decision was approved in the state cabinet meeting held on Tuesday.
The event will be implemented across Maharashtra every year from April 1 to March 31 as a state-wide public health movement.
The statement said that the main goal of the campaign is to improve health standards at the village level by coordinating key rural services such as sanitation, clean drinking water, nutrition and social awareness. It focuses on preventive and promotive healthcare rather than only medical treatment.
The initiative also seeks to encourage healthy lifestyles and positive changes in health-related social behaviour.
Special attention to be given to reducing diseases
Under the scheme, special attention will be given to reducing both communicable and non-communicable diseases, the statement said.
Other priority areas include maternal and child health, nutrition, sanitation, safe water supply, wastewater management, lifestyle diseases and mental health care.
The government aims to ensure that citizens receive accessible and quality health services.
To ensure effective implementation, committees will be formed at state, divisional, district, taluka and gram panchayat levels.
The state-level committee will be chaired by the Health Minister and will include senior officials such as Additional Chief Secretaries, Commissioners and Directors from various departments. A separate state-level action committee will also be set up under the leadership of the Principal Secretary of the Public Health Department, it said.
Cabinet approves a budget of Rs 80.75 crore
Villages will be evaluated based on guidelines issued by the Health Department. Villages that score more than 70 per cent of the total marks will be declared “Healthy Villages”. These villages will be rewarded with certificates, mementoes and cash prizes.
The cabinet has approved a budget of approximately Rs 80.75 crore for the implementation of this campaign.
The government has stated that the ‘My Village, Healthy Village’ initiative is intended to become a people’s movement, involving not only the Health Department but also all sections of society. The scheme is expected to provide a new direction to rural healthcare and strengthen the vision of building a healthy Maharashtra.
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