SHIKARPUR: The Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO) on Wednesday initiated the implementation of a four-year European Union-funded Programme for Improved Nutrition in Sindh (PINS) in Shikarpur, Larkana and Kambar- Shahdadkot districts of northern Sindh province. As a programme partner of PINS, the SRSO project manager Nisar Ahmed Pathan asserted that the programme aims to reduce malnutrition and improve health of children under the age of five, and pregnant and lactating women. “Government of Sindh aims to reduce the stunting rate of malnutrition in children from the existing 48 percent to 40 percent by 2021 in the province,” he said. The programme also considers improving provincial government’s capacity for an effective implementation of multisectoral nutrition policy and allocates direct assistance in order to efficiently treat severe acute malnutrition in the rural districts. Reportedly, SRSO teams held various meetings with women communities, village organisations, public health engineering department, livestock management department, local government department, water management department, forest department, agriculture extension department and fishery department for orientation of the programme. The meetings resolved to enhance coordination for joint efforts and maximum support to implement the programme effectively in the rural areas. Published in Daily Times, July 5th 2018.