Dr Vinod Kumar Monga, Chairman, Medical Relief and Public Health Committee (MCD) said, "We plan to maintain health records of every child. Every three months, we will do a comprehensive health check and record data."

Early monitoring would help identify deficiencies that can be rectified on time, he said. "Iron deficiency, the major cause of anaemia in children and adolescents, needs to be tackled in an organised manner," said Dr Monga.

Starting October 30, fourth and fifth graders in all MCD schools will be tested for their haemoglobin levels and Thalassemia. They will also be regularly given iron tablets along with the mid-day meals every Wednesday "We are not expecting miracles and are in no way claiming we can bring up the Hb count to 12 for every child, but we are definitely aiming at a positive change," says Dr Monga.