Shillong, Sep 19 (Reporter) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday launched Guidelines for Monitoring Childhood Development (GMCD) tool for Early Childhood Development in Meghalaya to support psychological and neurological development of newborn babies, especially up to three years of age. “We as a nation and as a state need to focus on the development of our citizens right from inception to their years of childhood, adolescence, and so on,” he said. Dwelling on how the state government has taken several interventions to focus on not only the newborn babies but the mothers others as well, he said, “We knew as a government that we had to do something to forge our departments and resources together and then make the start. Upon reviewing the numbers in 2018, I realized that the mortality rate for mothers while delivering was relatively high compared to the national average. We thought that it was institutional deliveries which are the cause of the problem but we realized that it was just a part of a larger picture.,” With this in mind, he said the government started to focus on early detection of high-risk mothers and eventually launched the Chief Minister's Safe Motherhood Scheme (CM-SMS) in March 2022 which is a program in Meghalaya that aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. “We are happy to see results but we are still doing our best to ensure that no mother loses her life during delivery," he elaborated. The Chief Minister said that the government realizes that if the state has to tap the power of the upcoming younger generations, it has to intervene, support and guide them in a holistic approach right from the beginning of their lives till young adulthood. Sangma also said that as this program is critical in the healthcare sector, there will be a need to have guidelines to monitor, improve and ensure the overall development of the young citizens right from birth. The Chief Minister urged all stakeholders to take responsibility and work with passion for the success of the initiative...////...