New Delhi: Kilkari delivers free, weekly, time-appropriate audio messages about pregnancy, childbirth and childcare via Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to women registered in the RCH portal, Union MoS for Health and Family Welfare, Bharati Pravin Pawar, informed through a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Friday (February 9). The Kilkari programme is a mobile-based service launched on 15th January 2016 as a part of its Digital India initiative, for new and expectant mothers aimed at encouraging them to make healthier choices for their newborn care by delivering messages about pregnancy, childbirth and childcare directly to the beneficiaries.
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According to the reply, it is an audio-based service and hence overcomes the literacy challenges of rural India.
Messaging begins in the second trimester of pregnancy and continues until the child is one year old. The pregnant mother’s data is fetched from the RCH portal to Kilkari through the web service.
The program informs mothers and families about behaviours and practices to be followed during pregnancy and infancy.
The weekly messages help families to educate, remind and reinforce the prioritized actions for each week during this crucial period. This action not only saves the lives of pregnant women and children from several risks but also ensures a healthy outcome, said Bharati Pawar in her statement.
The Kilkari Project serves 18 States/UTs, namely, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Recently, on 07th February 2024, the Kilkari Project was launched in two additional States namely, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
