Sheela Sheikh- Village Bhagat Chawki , Block Nawagadi, Munger District, Bihar Sheela Sheikh primarily reports on issues related to women and Dalits When Sheela Sheikh was eight years old, her father’s death forced her family to overcome many new challenges, especially in situations that required combating patriarchal systems. When Sheela began working for the government, corruption and gender discrimination prevented…

Sheela Sheikh

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Bajrangbali village, Munger district, Bihar | Sheela Sheikh

An eight-month pregnant woman in Bihar has only ever received Iron Folic Acid tablets from the health facility in her village. She has neither been able to get pre-natal check-ups nor free nutrition that she is entitled to under the Janani Suraksha Yojana, the Indian government’s scheme to bring down maternal deaths. The scheme makes provisions to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure for women below poverty line —providing free antenatal check ups, IFA tablets, medicines, nutrition in health institutions, provision for blood transfusion, and transport from health centres and back.

When Community Correspondent Sheela confronted the villages ASHA worker, in charge of distributing extra rations to pregnant and lactating women, she reveals how the anganwadi (child care) centre has stopped receiving any rations.

Call to Action: Please call the Child Development Programme Officer on +91 9431005560 and ask them to ensure that the pregnant and nursing mothers from this village get all the facilities that they are entitled to under this scheme.

This series on community monitoring of maternal health in India is supported by Oxfam India.