Gates foundation to provide tech support, MoC signed with WCD

New Delhi: Women and Child Development Ministry on Friday signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for strengthening and better monitoring its ongoing nutrition programmes for women and children across the country. [caption id=“attachment_1719651” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File Image. Bill gates. AP[/caption] The foundation will provide technical support at the national and state level to achieve its nutrition goals, especially during pre-conception, pregnancy and first two years of the newborn. “It will support an enhanced framework of collaboration in Information and Communication Technology enabled Real Time Monitoring (ICT-RTM) of Integrated Child Development Services(ICDS) and technical support on nutrition,” a statement from the ministry said. “The government has a significant focus on improving the health and lives of women and children in India, by strengthening nutrition programmes in order to promote their holistic development,” it said. It will also help in developing a shared national communications campaign for maternal and child nutrition among target populations, the statement said.