Archive · 29 Nov 2025
Ladoo Initiative Cuts Underweight Newborns in Tribal District
In a tribal district in Chhattisgarh, many pregnant women were not getting enough good food, which made their babies very small when they were born.
The local leader had an idea to give these women special sweets called ladoos, made with healthy ingredients like jaggery and peanuts.
These ladoos helped the mothers and babies stay strong.
The women who made the ladoos also earned money, and special helpers made sure everyone got the right food and care.
This made many babies healthier when they were born, and the families were very happy.
The Korea Modak Ladoo Initiative was launched in February 2025 to combat low birth weight in pregnant women.
Each pregnant woman receives two nutrient-rich ladoos daily, made from locally sourced ingredients like jaggery, peanuts, and fortified flour.
The initiative is managed by Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and supported by Poshan Sangwari (nutrition friends).
Over 2,000 beneficiaries have received the ladoos, with a special focus on high-risk pregnancies, resulting in a 57% reduction in underweight newborns.
The initiative also prioritizes the distribution of iron supplements to pregnant women in their fifth month, delivered directly to homes by Poshan Sangwari and ASHA workers.
- Who
- Pregnant women in Korea district, Chhattisgarh
- What
- A ladoo distribution initiative to reduce low birth weight
- When
- Launched in February 2025
- Where
- Korea district, Chhattisgarh, India
- Why
- To address maternal malnutrition and low birth weight in the tribal region
- Location
- Korea district, Chhattisgarh
- Initiative Name
- Korea Modak Ladoo Initiative
- Start Date
- February 2025
- Ingredients
- Gram flour, jaggery, sesame, barley, ghee, ragi, peanuts, fortified flour
- Beneficiaries
- Over 2,000 pregnant women
- Ladoos Distributed
- Over 300,000
- SHG Earnings
- Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 monthly per member
- Key Supplements
- Iron supplements in the fifth month