Govt plans month-long campaign to spread message of nutrition

From the Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat to the social media and radio programmes — all the programes will have one thing in common through September. A nutrition theme.

September will be observed as Nutrition Maah (or month) with the aim of reaching every household with the message of nutrition — ‘har ghar poshan tyohar’ (every house a celebration of nutrition).

The month-long intensive campaign will promote antenatal care, breastfeeding, fight anemia, convey messages about the importance of nutrition for girls and the right age of marriage, deliver messages about the importance of growth monitoring and also promote hygiene and sanitation. In the middle of the month, health minister J P Nadda will also kick off a programme against anaemia.

Prabhat Pheris, poshan melas, poshan walks, recipe demonstrations and school level events are also in the pipeline.

The partners for the initiative are Niti Ayog, Ministries of Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Affairs, Human Resources Development, Information and Broadcasting, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Tribal Affairs, Minority Affairs and Ayush.

India has already embarked on a Rs 9000-crore Poshan Abhiyan to fight malnutrition. Launched on March 8 by PM Narendra Modi in Jhunjhunu, the Abhiyaan targets to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight.

The target of the mission is to bring down stunting among children up to the age of six years from 38.4 per cent to 25 per centby 2022.

India has a very high burden of malnutrition. According to data from the National Family Health Survey-4, 38.4 per cent of India’s children aged less than 5 years are stunted (less height for their age), 21 per cent are wasted (less weight for their height) and 35.7per cent are underweight. Between 2005-06, when NFHS-3 was conducted, and 2015-16, when the subsequent round happened, the percentage of wasted children went up from 19.8 per cent to 21 per cent and the percentage of severely wasted children went up from 6.4 per cent to 7.5 per cent.

While the PM who, sources say, is extremely keen that the nutrition message percolates, will obviously be its biggest ambassador, the government has roped in radio jockeys to talk about it and nutrition themes ringtones have been developed. The hashtag #PoshanMaah will be boosted on social media platforms.

Apart from the regular frontline health workforce such as ASHAs and auxilliary nurse midwives, the government has also roped in teachers, self help groups, NSS student volunteers, National Cadet Corps, National Cooperative Development Corporation and Swacchagrahis. The total manpower, sources say, is 1.9 crore people.