COLOMBO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's State Minister for Women and Child Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe on Thursday announced an initiative to provide a morning meal for all preschool children this year.
The state minister made these remarks during a press conference held at the Presidential Media Center (PMC).
She said there are 155,000 preschool children in the country and given the high prevalence of malnutrition among Sri Lankan children, the government is planning to provide a protein-rich meal.
The scheme covers approximately 120,000 urban and rural and 35,000 estate-sector preschool children.
Kumarasinghe added that plans are underway to distribute nutrition pack to pregnant women.
The state minister added that there are also plans to propose and enact three new bills aimed at safeguarding the rights of children and women. ■
