CCI agrees to launch massive project to combat stunting

ISLAMABAD: In a major move, the Council of Common Interests Wednesday unanimously agreed to launching the Tackling Malnutrition Induced Stunting in Pakistan (TMISP) with a cost of Rs350 billion in five years (FY 2020-25).

This decision was taken during 43rd meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan and attended by the chief ministers of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Taking a serious notice of malnutrition and stunted growth among children, the CCI unanimously agreed to the project. It was agreed that 50 per cent (approximately Rs175 billion) would be provided by the federal government and equal amount would be shared by the provincial governments for the project.

This project will target 30 per cent of the country’s total population with 15 million women of reproductive age group and 3.9 million children under the age of 2 years through nutrition interventions. It was agreed that the federal government would provide funds for nutrition supplementary commodities, capacity building of new and existing healthcare workers, research and monitoring while the provinces would contribute for implementation through involvement of existing LHWs, community health workers, target population identification, programme management, institutional arrangement, evaluation and data sharing.

Addressing participants of the meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed the need for developing a consensus among the provinces over energy issues, adding that it was necessary for the welfare of the people of Pakistan. It was decided that next meeting of the CCI would be called in January next year to finalise issues related to the cost of electricity, gas and fuel and resolve water-related issues. The CCI also reviewed implementation status of the previous decisions.

The CCI also considered request of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for one-time permission to swap/substitute arrangement of one exploration block with another prospective block within the province. The one-time approval was accorded for the swap with the condition that commitments accruing out of previous award of block should be completed and the Petroleum Division should incorporate a time limit for such swap so that future requests are catered for.