Iron-rich ‘Mahua laddus’ made by Adivasi women’s cooperative in Telangana’s Utnoor earns praise from PM

Adivasi women in Telangana make iron-rich Mahua laddus, praised by PM Modi. The laddus aid nutrition and reducing anaemia levels.

The nutrient-rich ‘Mahua laddus’ made by the Adivasi women members of the Utnoor-based Bheembai Adivasi Mahila Sahakara Sangham in Adilabad district of Telangana found special mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 120th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme.

The income generating activity of Adivasi women of Utnoor while contributing their mite to support nutritional interventions in Telangana’s tribal heartland of erstwhile undivided Adilabad district and the rich tribal heritage came in for praise from the Prime Minister during his speech.

The Adivasi women-led cooperative is empowering tribal women by making laddus from the Mahua (Ippa) flowers, rich in iron and other nutrients, and supplying the iron-rich laddus to the ashram schools and anganwadi centres in the old undivided Adilabad district under the aegis of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor.

Meanwhile, Khushboo Gupta, Project Officer, ITDA, Utnoor, received two SKOCH awards for her two transformative projects – ‘Girijan Poshan Mitra’ and ‘Girijan Canteen’ in New Delhi on March 29, 2025.

Anaemia screening, targeted supplementation, distribution of Mahua laddus in Ashram schools forms the crux of the Girijan Poshan Mitra project.

According to ITDA sources, the nutrition initiative resulted in significant reduction in anaemia levels with the number of severely anaemic girls reducing from 15% to less than 1% in a span of four months.