The closing ceremony of the 3rd Rashtriya Poshan Maah which was celebrated from 7th – 30th September this year was held today through virtual mode. Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, being the nodal Ministry for POSHAN Abhiyaan, coordinated the celebration of the Poshan Maah in convergence with partner Ministries and departments, at National, States/UTs, Districts, and grass root level. Identification of Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) Children and their management and plantation of Poshan Vaatikas- Nutri gardens, were undertaken as focus activities during the Poshan Maah, along with awareness generation regarding importance of early breast feeding, need for good nutrition during first 1000 days of life, measures for reducing anaemia in young women and children etc.
Addressing the webinar organized to mark the occasion, Union Minister of State for Women & Child Development Sushri Debasree Chaudhuri appreciated the celebration of the Poshan Maah while observing adherence to Covid-19 guidelines. She said that while the Covid pandemic has posed many challenges to promoting maternal and child nutrition, growth monitoring and detection of malnutrition, frontline workers have not only risen to the occasion to provide essential services but also observed Poshan Maah 2020. She stressed that the Hon’ble Prime Minister has repeatedly emphasized on the importance of maintaining good nutrition and health as also on how it could be achieved by consuming local diets. The Minister expressed hope that the efforts to realize the mission of Suposhit Bharat will continue at the same speed even after the Poshan Maah.
Earlier, Secretary, Women & Child Development, Government of India, Shri Ram Mohan Mishra in his welcome address, said that the Hon’ble Prime Minister has fixed the target of Kuposhan Mukt Bharat which requires the contribution of citizens, government departments and social organizations at the national, state and local levels. Conveying the appreciation of Union Minister for Women & Child Development and Textiles Smt Smriti Zubin Irani at the outstanding contributions by various organizations and individuals throughout the month, he said that Poshan Maah activities are just a beginning and need to be upscaled further to achieve the target.
Representatives of various Central Government ministries like Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Health & Family Welfare, Department of School Education and States/UTs like Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Gujarat and Mizoram gave an overview of the activities conducted by them during Poshan Maah 2020. Joint Secretary, Women & Child Development Smt Aastha S. Khatwani gave a presentation on the activities and initiatives undertaken during the Poshan Maah 2020.
