Special Article: On the call of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, National Nutrition Campaign became a mass movement

On the call of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the National Nutrition Campaign has taken the form of a mass movement. In the current month, the Nutrition Campaign is being celebrated as a nationwide festival. Nutrition campaign is being conducted in more than 52 thousand Anganwadis of the state. At the same time, various health-promoting activities are also being organized. It is worth noting that Prime Minister Shri Modi had started it in the year 2018 as ‘National Nutrition Campaign’ to eliminate malnutrition by focusing on the nutritional status of pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children up to the age of six years.

Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai said that our government is determined to make Chhattisgarh a nutritious state. He appealed to all the people’s representatives, representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, women’s self-help groups, intellectuals, students, representatives of public and private sector bodies and the entire public community to participate in the activities of the Poshan Maah with full enthusiasm and energy to make Chhattisgarh malnutrition and anemia free. Public representatives, representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, women’s self-help groups, intellectuals, students and local public have been included to make women and children aware of nutrition.

Women and Child Development Minister Smt. Laxmi Rajwade said that Poshan Maah 2024 is being celebrated from the first day of September, which is a nationwide celebration dedicated towards promoting nutrition awareness and building a healthy India. In its 7th phase this year, the Poshan Maah campaign is focusing on important topics like prevention of anemia, growth monitoring, good governance and effective service delivery through technology, nutrition and studies and supplementary nutrition. She said that under the National Nutrition Month, women and children are being counseled in about 52 thousand Anganwadi centers of Chhattisgarh to make them aware about health and take care of their nutrition. It is worth noting that to make Chhattisgarh free from anemia and malnutrition, awareness is being brought in the villages by the Women and Child Development Department through the Suposhan Rath.

Under the National Nutrition Month, various activities related to nutrition and cleanliness are being organized daily in all the Anganwadi centers of the state. Along with this, weight festival is being celebrated in all the centers in the district till 23 September 2024. During this, measuring the weight and height of children from 0 to 06 years, checking the nutrition level and giving nutrition related information to their parents is being done in Anganwadi centers. So far, 29 lakh 60 thousand 333 activities have been entered in the dashboard under the National Nutrition Month in the state. Ms. Tulika Prajapati, Director of Women and Child Development Department has directed all the officers and employees of the department to make online entry of 100% of the activities being done.

In all Anganwadi centres, the weight festival is being discussed in group meetings. During discussions with rural women, children aged 0 to 06 years and adolescent girls are being informed about diet and health care. Along with providing information about women and child development schemes, pregnant women are being urged to include nutritious food in their diet.

Along with the National Nutrition Month, the Weight Festival was also celebrated in the Anganwadis of the state from 12 to 23 September. Under this, along with measuring the increase in the weight of children, community awareness work was also done. During the Weight Festival, other details including the weight of children were recorded on the mobile app of the Women and Child Development Department. Similarly, during the Nutrition Month, events like Suposhan Chaupal, Annaprashan Diwas, Family Chaupal, Nutrition Fair, Cuisine Display are being organized in panchayats and urban areas. Slogan writing, essay, painting and wall writing competitions are being organized in schools to make children aware of nutrition. Along with this, a healthy boy-girl competition is also being organized. Under the National Nutrition Month, nutrition gardens are also being developed in Anganwadi centers and schools with the cooperation of Gram Panchayat.

National Nutrition Month 2024 is not just a campaign – it is a movement. By involving adolescent girls and providing continued support for the ‘Anemia Mukt Bharat’ programme and leveraging community participation, India is accelerating its journey towards a malnutrition-free future.

India’s commitment to nutrition is the basis of its ambition for sustainable development. Let us pledge to work together so that every child, mother and family in India can get nutritious food and a healthy future. Let us all join this campaign. Together we can achieve the goal of a malnutrition-free India.