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Haryana: 'Saheli' initiative launched to support pregnant women
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, April 11, 2025: To combat the serious issue of female foeticide, the Health Department, in Haryana, is taking strong and proactive steps to strictly enforce the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act across the state. Additional Chief Secretary (Health), has constituted a State Task Force to regularly monitor the implementation of the Act.
The task force is actively conducting field visits, holding review meetings, and taking strict action against violators.In a major step forward, it has been decided that every pregnant woman having a girl child will be assigned a dedicated caregiver called a “Saheli.”
The “Saheli” will be either an Anganwadi Worker (AWW) from the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department or an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) from the National Health Mission (NHM).
The “Saheli” will provide continuous support and care to the pregnant woman starting from the first or second trimester until the safe delivery of the child.In a joint meeting of the Health Department, NHM, and WCD Department, the Secretary, of Health to the Government of Haryana, directed that:
· NHM will share data on pregnant women with the WCD Department.
· Based on this data, WCD will assign an AWW and NHM will assign an ASHA to each eligible pregnant woman.
· The designated AWW or ASHA will function as the “Saheli” for that specific woman and act as her key point of contact for maternal care and emotional support.
Further instructions have been issued to both NHM and WCD to ensure that every pregnant woman in Haryana is assigned a “Saheli” starting immediately.
With this initiative, the Government of Haryana aims to promote the well-being of pregnant women, encourage safe deliveries, and eliminate gender-based discrimination in prenatal care.
From today, in Haryana, every pregnant woman will have a “Saheli” to support and care for her throughout her pregnancy.