In a significant move to support nursing mothers, Odisha Deputy CM Pravati Parida urged shopping mall authorities to set up breastfeeding centres on Wednesday. This initiative is part of a broader campaign to promote public-friendly maternal spaces across the State.

According to sources, the Deputy CM Parida has urged businesses, especially malls, to provide breastfeeding facilities for the benefit of their female patrons. Given that more than 75% of mall patrons are female, she emphasized the critical need for designated breastfeeding and restroom facilities.

In order to make public areas more welcoming and family-friendly, the state government plans to expand this service to bus stops, train stations, weekly markets, and other locations. The Department of Women and Child Development has also launched two websites to promote breastfeeding in conjunction with World Breastfeeding Week.

Today, the OSCW (Odisha State Commission for Women) opened the first official breastfeeding center in the state. The introduction of the Lok Kalyan App is another welfare initiative that will enable social workers to interact digitally with the Women's Welfare Board and contribute to outreach expansion.

Deputy CM Parida explained that the goal is to promote businesses' cooperation in establishing secure and respectable environments for mothers, not to impose any pressure on them. She emphasized that women's shopping experiences could be significantly improved by a small private enclosure in malls.