Advisor Farooq Khan inaugurates Rashtriya Poshan Maah

JAMMU, SEPTEMBER 7: Advisor Farooq Khan, inaugurated Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2021, here today.

The event marked the beginning of activities under the Prime Minister’s outreach programme of POSHAN Abhiyaan in all the districts of Jammu and Kashmir during the month of September.

State Project Director (SPMU) POSHAN Abhiyaan, Rubina Kouser, Director Finance Anil Dogra, Joint Director ICDS, Devinder Singh Katoch, Deputy Director, ICDS, Jammu, Teena Mahajan, District Programme Officers (ICDS),  CDPOs of Jammu division and other senior officers of convergent departments  besides Supervisors, Anganwadi workers and ASHAs were present on the occasion .

Advisor stressed upon the need to intensify identification of malnourished children and providing them with adequate nutrition and health care for bringing them to mainstream in terms of healthy nutritional status. He said that convergence among departments is the key to tackle the menace of malnutrition among children.

He emphasized for improving nutritional outcomes for children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers. He also asked for creating micronutrient environments in every village. For this, Poshan vatikas are to be set up in Anganwadi Centres, panchayat areas, vacant lands in villages where benefits can easily be given to women and children.

He said the word celebration is misnomer, the actual celebration will begin once the fight against malnourishment is won. The war has been started against malnourishment but will be won by convergence among departments, he added

Rubina Kousar, State Project Director POSHAN Abhiyaan, highlighted four major themes of Poshan Maah 2021, namely plantation activity at poshan vatikas, yoga and ayush for nutrition, distribution of regional nutrition kits and identification of SAM children and community kitchen for SAM children. She further highlighted the need to increase nutritional awareness and responsiveness among all stakeholders about vital nutrition behaviours. She also recounted the journey of ICDS department during four years of poshan abhiyan.

Child Development Project Officer, Akanksha Kalsotra  and Medical Officer, Dr Rimpee Devi made a Power Point Presentation on Poshan Abhiyan and Identification of SAM  Children  respectively.

Pertinent to mention that activities during the POSHAN Maah this year will broadly focus on plantation drive for POSHAN VATIKA, sensitization drive for COVID vaccination and observance of COVID protocols, special drive for Height and Weight Measurement for Children (under 6 years of age), slogan writing and recipe competitions.

Also, there will be sessions on “5-minute Yoga Protocol” (Y-break or yoga break) at various workplaces for the employees of government and corporate bodies, awareness campaign on importance of  regional foods, block wise identification of SAM Children, Supervised Supplementary Feeding Program for SAM children and sensitisation for community management of acute malnutrition and distribution of nutritious food for SAM children.