Old wine in new bottle: Congress Govt rebrands KCR Kits, KCR Nutrition Kits, with MCH Kits; blocks KCR’s photo

HYDERABAD: The Revanth Reddy Government in Telangana has decided to rebrand KCR Kits and KCR Nutrition Kits together as Mother and Child Health Nutrition kits or MCH kits by blocking the face of KCR with a white sticker and give away the kits ready for distribution to beneficiaries concerned all over the State.

Is it not the proverbial old wine in a new bottle?

Recall Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s recent statement at the Telangana State Fire Services headquarters that the good programmes of the previous governments would be continued.

He had said that all Chief Ministers N Chandrababu Naidu, Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy and K Chandrashekar Rao had contributed to the development of the State in the last 30 years and vowed that he would learn from the experiences and continue their good work.

Also Read: Telangana decennial fete: 6.84 lakh pregnant women to get Rs 2,000 KCR nutrition kits

So, one can infer from the decision to rename the kits that Revanth Reddy is no different. His Government is now rebranding the same programme.

The tweaks have not come as a surprise, as he concertedly will change the names of most programmes.

The KCR Kits programme was launched in 2017 to encourage pregnant women to opt for deliveries at government health centres and it was an instant hit among pregnant women.

The kit contained baby oil, soaps useful for mother and child, a mosquito net, dresses, a handbag, toys for a child, diapers, prickly heat powder, shampoo, sarees, towels and napkins, and a baby bed.

This is an ongoing programme across Telangana.

Later, then Health Minister T Harish Rao launched the KCR nutrition kits programme at Kamareddy on December 21, 2022. These kits were aimed at reducing anemia and improving hemoglobin levels in pregnant women. They contained a kg of nutritional mix powder, a kg of dates (Khajoor), three bottles of iron syrup, 500 grams of ghee, and a cup.

These nutrition kits were initially distributed to pregnant women in nine districts of Telangana where the prevalence of anemia was high.

However, after the Congress Government came to power in Telangana, it was in a fix as both the kits and their components had the picture of then CM KCR.

The Government, however, made no specific allocations for the programme in the vote-on-account budget for the 2024-25 financial year raising apprehensions that it might do away with the programme.

The KCR Government had allocated Rs 200 crore for the programme during the 2023-24 annual budget.

Meanwhile, orders were given to go ahead with the distribution of the kits at the district level with kits in stock without any delay. According to DM&HO of Nalgonda Dr Kondal Rao, the renamed kit was distributed by blocking the name KCR and also his picture.

During the 2023-24 financial year, 6,17, 016 pregnant and young mothers in Telangana were registered under the programme and since the beginning of the KCR kits programme, more than 46,35,347 pregnant women benefitted.