People are being made aware about the benefits of nutrition power house ‘Millets’
Motivated to adopt traditional nutritious food in diet
Raipur, 24 March 2023
Nutrition fortnight is being organized in the state from March 20 to improve the awareness and habits related to nutrition and health care of children and women. The Nutrition Fortnight organized by the Women and Child Development Department will continue till April 03. The year 2023 has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Millet Year. Keeping this in mind, this year Poshan Pakhwada is being celebrated as millets festival in Chhattisgarh. During this, people are being made aware to include this traditional nutritious grain in their daily diet by giving information about the benefits of millets, the power house of nutrition. For this, many programs are being organized according to the special theme.
Significantly, millets (coarse cereals) like kodo, kutki, ragi are a nutritious food option that can help meet daily nutritional requirements. It is also very beneficial for child-bearing women. Nutrients like calcium, iron, protein, minerals are abundant in these. In view of this, efforts are being made to increase the popularity of Shri Anna i.e. millets for nutritional welfare. Apart from this, under the healthy boy-girl competition, the weight of children up to six years, Information about nutritional status of children is also being taken by measuring length and height. Efforts are also being made to make the public aware about the efficient Anganwadi. Calendar wise activities have been fixed for each day of Poshan Pakhwada. According to this, efforts are being made to change nutrition related behavior at individual and community level through different activities every day. All these activities are also being entered in the nutrition tracker app on a daily basis.
Awareness chariots, bike rallies are being taken out across the state for nutrition awareness. In major panchayats and haat-bazaars, people are being made aware by demonstrating video clips regarding the development and improvement of proper habits related to nutrition, health and care of women and children. In Anganwadi centers, schools, gram panchayats, people are being informed about good nutrition and the benefits of including millets in the diet are being explained. Competition, exhibition and millets awareness camps are also being organized for dishes made from millets. Many self-help groups are showing the importance of millets by displaying tricolor plate made of millets.
Under Poshan Pakhwada, community based activities such as Suposhan Choupal, meeting of women groups, meeting of parents and awareness program on gender sensitive, water management, prevention and management of anemia have also been included. In this, coordination of various departments including Health, Panchayat is also being taken.
