TOBACCO CONTROL
The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) has been actively enforced across all districts in the state of Karnataka since 2013 along with the Department of Health and Family Welfare and Karnataka State Police.
Strategic initiatives have been rolled out to support the ban on Gutka, the sale of loose cigarettes and E-cigarettes, as well as the mandate for pictorial warnings on tobacco product packaging. Additionally, measures have been taken to ban the use of hookah in Karnataka.
Nicotine is categorized as a substance subject to regulation under the Poisons Act of 2016-17 in Karnataka.
Health warnings screening mandated in cinema theatres, and designated smoking areas to restrict smoking in public places. The implementation of vendor licensing for tobacco sales alongside the provision of alternate livelihoods for tobacco farmers.
ROAD SAFETY
The team actively engaged and contributed largely to the amendment to the Indian Motor Vehicle Act 1988.
Enforcement includes ensuring the use of helmets, making seat belts compulsory, discouraging distracted driving (such as holding mobile phones while driving), preventing drink and driving incidents, and addressing over speeding.
First responders training for commercial vehicle drivers conducted a series of first responders training in the city of Bengaluru. Awareness programs are conducted at schools and colleges, corporates, and commercial vehicle drivers.
EVALUATION OF MID-DAY MEAL PROGRAM
Conducted Third-party evaluation of PM Poshan / Mid-day Meal program of The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Adamya Chetana Foundation in Bengaluru, Bellary, and Dharwad districts.
The Evaluation Reports have been submitted to the respective authorities of PM POSHAN/Mid-day Meals program Department of School Education, Government of Karnataka.
ROUTE TO NUTRITION
Campaign Route to Nutrition pilot study initiated in 3 districts of Karnataka in 2021 -23. Program launched by Shri B C Nagesh, Minister for School Education,n Government of Karnataka. The project trained over 200 cooks, 500 teachers, and 5000 children about various aspects of nutrition, especially concerning midday meals.
Shri UT Khader, Hon’ble Speaker, Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Government of Karnataka, released the pilot project report in 2022. He emphasized the need for initiating discussion on the issue in the Legislative assembly and suggested policy-level changes for the same.
In 2023, a full-fledged program was initiated in Karnataka training all the cook cum helpers across the state on important of healthy diet and salt reduction. This will ensure state-wide rollout and coverage across all districts training all 1,08,294 Cooks and covering all 51,914 schools and 49,31,197 (4.9 million) target beneficiary students in the state of Karnataka.Â
Additionally, VSD is also working towards capacity building of the health care staff on salt reduction and healthy dietary habits to prevent CVD and hypertension.
TRANSFORM
Healthy futures with Trans Fatty Acid Reduction and State Optimization Reform Model (TRANSFORM) using CLEARS Framework.
The project aims to technically support the implementation of Trans fats best practice policy [Trans fatty acid (TFA) fats/oils/food regulations] in the state of Karnataka, India.
The project intends to utilize a state implementation plan developed using the CLEARS framework, which includes capacity building, laboratory strengthening, policy enforcement, compliance assessment and reporting, and promoting healthier oils as replacements for trans fats.
TUBERCULOSIS
Campaign Route to Nutrition pilot study initiated in 3 districts of Karnataka in 2021 -23. Program launched by Shri B C Nagesh, Minister for School Education,n Government of Karnataka. The project trained over 200 cooks, 500 teachers, and 5000 children about various aspects of nutrition, especially concerning midday meals.
Shri UT Khader, Hon’ble Speaker, Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Government of Karnataka, released the pilot project report in 2022. He emphasized the need for initiating discussion on the issue in the Legislative assembly and suggested policy-level changes for the same.
In 2023, a full-fledged program was initiated in Karnataka training all the cook cum helpers across the state on important of healthy diet and salt reduction. This will ensure state-wide rollout and coverage across all districts training all 1,08,294 Cooks and covering all 51,914 schools and 49,31,197 (4.9 million) target beneficiary students in the state of Karnataka.Â
Additionally, VSD is also working towards capacity building of the health care staff on salt reduction and healthy dietary habits to prevent CVD and hypertension.
Tobacco Control Program in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
This project aimed to enhance implementation of the prevailing tobacco control policies, especially the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA). The project, over the time, adopted broad strategies of followings:
- sensitization of state level and district level stakeholders.
- capacity building.
- sensitization of journalists and use of mass media.
- Raising Awareness in Schools, Colleges and Other Educational Institutions.
- Declaration of Tobacco Free Educational Institutions.
- Organizing Mass IEC Awareness Campaigns.
- Taking Pledge against Tobacco use.
- The initial focus was at the state level where stakeholders from the various government departments (health; police; transport; education; information; fire safety etc.) were sensitized. During this time, a better understanding was developed working with these departments in terms of the specific role that each department could play and how COTPA implementation could be institutionalized. The project then moved its focus to the district level. This project was primarily supported through grants from the CSR initiatives.
Reaching the un-reached
- Ensure a strategic and targeted approach to functional vocational training based on needs identified through active involvement of the community and community based organisations.
- Â Reach out to communities and provide targeted training, based on identified needs for viable trades and skills which will lead to employment of marginalized.
- Â Create awareness among wide range of actors and stakeholders on the importance of functional vocational training in the context of unorganized sector.
- Â Build the capacity of staff and partners to manage the programme and ensure professional coordination, effective monitoring and evaluation and quality in reporting
- Â Mobilize local resources for skill training activities
- Â Â Create a databank for information dissemination
- Â Â Bring out replicable models by responding to emerging new opportunities
Prevention of child Marriage Project
End Child marriage in Dharmapuri
To eradicate child marriage by strengthening community participation in Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu.
VSD: a grass-root organisation with a strong understanding of the local context, strong relationships with the communities and local stakeholders, good networking skills and an organisation that is effective for a quality implementation of the projects.
Child marriage has been identified as the most urgent child protection issue in Dharmapuri District: it has the highest rate of child marriage (27,8%) in Tamil Nadu, a State which notwithstanding the great progress made in child development indicators, has a rate of child marriage of 18.9% (for rural areas).
Projects
- Education and child rights promotion in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu; Women empowerment and rights; Vocational skills training for youth; Nutritional programmes for children; Community development programmes through micro-credit; Livelihood restoration in disaster affected regions; Sustainable agricultural practices; TB-Control In 2017-2018Â
- Awareness and promote Right to Education (RTE) through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in two districts – 5,046 children and adults – 15,500
- Prevention of Tuberculosis – Awareness, capacity building of community stakeholders, Identification of new patients and referral – 600 adults
Beneficiaries
In Pentagram, the target towns are Neruppur and Selamudi, in which 6 villages in the former and 8 villages in the latter will be the target. The direct beneficiaries of the project include 3272 children in the age group 12 to 18 years out of which 857 girls and 775 boys are enrolled in 5 middle, 2 high and 2 higher secondary school from 14 villages and 320 adolescents from 16 children’s club in the Pennagaram block. Indirect beneficiaries include the School teachers, 24 women support Group members, Staffs and officials of social welfare and other relevant State departments, Members and office bearers of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRI)- (Local self-governance), Parents and target community population of the Pennagaram block (205,000 inhabitants).
Results
- Girls’ and boys’ capacities are enhanced to become agents of change to promote girls’ rights and gender equality
- Girls are supported in continuing their education
- Communities are aware and supported to protect girls from child marriage
Activities
- Prevention of Child marriage campaign in Dharmapuri
- Collobrated iwh the District stakeholders for preparation of IEC materials and sensitizing the communities
- Formation of children Clubs in the communities
- Formation of children clubs in the Government schools
- Strenghtening women support groups to report and prevent Child marriage.
Reducing Sodium and improving quality of Fat in Mid-day meals in Karnataka
Excess salt/sodium consumption leads to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases and is attributable to 1.65 million deaths worldwide annually. The WHO has identified sodium reduction as a key priority, and it has recommended a dietary salt intake of <5 g/day for adults. Though the scientific evidence on the virtues of salt reduction is strong, the data required to translate scientific evidence into public health policy and consequently reduced population salt intake is limited, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as India. As mentioned earlier, on an average, a person in India consumes 10 g salt a day which is twice that recommended by WHO.
The MDM program is a multi-purpose initiative of the government to address food security, lack of nutrition, and access to education. In Karnataka nearly, 5.5 million children from class 1 to 10 in government and government aided schools are daily provided with either freshly cooked food during schools or ration in event of school holidays or closure. According to MDM guidelines, fortified oil and iodized salt are being used for meal preparation. For the meal preparation per student, 2gm salt and 5gm oil are being used for the age group 6 to 11 years, and 4gm salt and 14gm oil for the age group 12 to 14 years. The MDM program involves various service providers from centralised to decentralised kitchens across the state.
SKILLING AND EMPLOYABILITY FOR RURAL YOUTH
Vision for Social Development is happy to announce the completion of the project on ‘Skilling and Employability’ in the north tribal belt of Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka with support of CSR initiatives.
For India, skill development is critical from both socio-economic and demographic point of view. For the economy to grow at 8% to 9%, with the targeted growth rate of 10% for secondary, 11% for tertiary and 4% for agriculture sectors, a multi-faceted and highly efficient skill development system is imperative. India will become the second largest population with a headcount of around 1.4 billion by 2025 in the world. It has distinct advantage of having the youngest population with an average age of 29 (FICCI, 2014). Hence such a scenario necessitates skill development for the workforce.
Government of India has accorded high priority to the skill development and entrepreneurship promotion as a strategy to accelerate livelihood and economic opportunities in the rural sector. Further, entrepreneurship can play a pivotal role in generating local employment and eradicating poverty for economic development.
Although India has witnessed much better economic growth during the last two decades than it previously had, both the growth as well as the quality of employment has not matched with the impressive growth rate. There is considerable evidence of the marginalisation of rural-tribal population and high incidence of poverty within rural-tribal areas. Rural people in general and tribal in particular are the most disadvantaged in terms of access to services, including education and training, and are the worst victims of multiple forms of deprivation.
Tribal people in multiple settings are likely to be amongst those who are not being reached in the drive towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Developing decent livelihood options, employment and self-employment of the tribal people according to their convenience have always been a major concern for the Government as well as the civil society organizations. Despite investing largely in tribal welfare schemes the overall status of development in the tribal areas and the plight of tribal population continue to be an area of major concern.