Rashtriya Poshan Maah celebrations get under way across India

 The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has urged the Ministers of partner Ministries and all the Members of Parliament to extend full support to the ongoing Rashtriya Poshan Maah with outreach activities. The Government is celebrating the month of September, 2018 as the National Nutrition Month under the Poshan Abhiyan.

“In order to mainstream this programme during September, 2018, I request you to undertake outreach activities in your constituency. Your participation in this mission will enable common citizens to associate with the objective of eliminating malnutrition”, WCD Minister has stated in written communication to her colleagues.

Smt Maneka Gandhi also said that the Poshan Abhiyan is a visionary programme to address the nutritional challenges of the country which was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in March, 2018. The programme seeks to bring convergence amongst various ministries to work in a coordinated manner so that malnutrition can be quickly and progressively reduced. The key features of this programme is mobilization of communities across the country and get their participation in addressing various aspects of the nutritional challenges, she said.

A number of Ministries of Central Government are collaborating in the Poshan Abhiyan. The primary aim is to enable awareness on the importance of nutrition and how individual families can easily access government services to supplement nutrition for their children and pregnant/lactating mothers.

POSHAN Abhiyaan seeks to synergise efforts of key stakeholders by leveraging technology and intends to take Nutrition Awareness to the level of Jan Andolan or People’s Movement. This People’s Movement intends to reach 11 crore beneficiaries during the Rashtriya Poshan Maah itself.

Since the launch, Government has organised many Awareness Workshops with an aim to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anemia and low birth weight. As one of the nodal agencies of this Campaign, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has been at the forefront in driving Sensitisation Programs. Along with other partnering Ministries and Organisations, MWCD has been successful in mobilizing support from communities across the country.

Stakeholders across India will be encouraged to undertake activities ranging from State Level Workshops to Nomination of Brand Ambassadors to Multi-Media Campaigns. The MPs and Ministers have also been requested to update accomplished activities on the Jan Andolan Dashboard. In a swift response to the letter, the Ministers and MPs have already started undertaking series of POSHAN activities.

National Nutrition Month has eight Key Themes, namely, Antenatal Care, Optimal Breastfeeding, Complementary Feeding, Anemia, Growth Monitoring, Education; diet and right age of marriage for girls, Hygiene and Sanitation and Food fortification. All the Departments of the Government and other associated organisations have adopted an integrated approach towards accomplishing a target of malnutrition-free India. Social Media Updates pertaining to this campaign can be followed by using #PoshanMaah.

This programme through use of technology, a targeted approach and convergence strives to build a Healthy nation. To ensure a holistic approach, all 36 States/UTs and 718 districts will be covered in a phased manner by the year 2020. The Jan Andolan intends to give prominence to Nutrition at the highest level in the country. Nearly 100 community radio stations are also participating in the special drive during this month.

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