In the latest Mann ki Baat, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the month of September would be observed as Poshan Maah — Nutrition month.
He recalled the maxim – “Yatha Annam Tatha Mannam,” which means that mental and intellectual development is directly related to the quality of our food intake.
- In the show, he spoke at length about new various initiatives such as ‘Agriculture Fund of India’, ‘Nutrition Mirror’ and ‘Nutrition Card’.
- Nutrition Card is proposed to be introduced in all schools.
All these schemes are aimed at addressing nutritional challenges through awareness at all levels.
“Nutrition and proper nourishment play a big role in helping children and students to attain their optimum potential and to show their mettle. He stressed that for children to be well nourished, the mother needs to receive proper nourishment. He added that nutrition merely does not only imply eating but getting essential nutrients like salts, vitamins etc”, said Modi in his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
Nation और Nutrition का गहरा संबंध है। पिछले कुछ वर्षों में इस दिशा में काफी प्रयास किए गए हैं। इसे जन-भागीदारी से जन-आंदोलन बनाया जा रहा है।
सितंबर को पोषण माह के रूप में मनाएं। आइए, पौष्टिक खाने और स्वस्थ रहने के लिए हम सभी को प्रेरित करें। #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/Udlo1I3HgP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2020
Prime Minister noted the efforts made in the country during the past few years especially in villages where public participation in nutrition week and nutrition month is converting nutrition awareness into a mass movement. He added that schools have been integrated into this mass movement with efforts being made to ensure competitions for children to increase nutrition awareness.
Prime Minister said that in a class, just like there is a Class Monitor, there should be a Nutrition Monitor. Similarly, just like a Report card, a Nutrition Card should also be introduced. He informed that during the course of the Nutrition Month, a food and nutrition quiz as well as meme competition will be organized on the My Gov portal. He asked the listeners to participate in it.
He also announced that a ‘Nutrition Quiz’ would be organized on the ‘My Gov’ portal, and there would be a meme competition as well on nutrition issues during the course of the nutrition month.
Global Nutrition Report 2020
Global Nutrition Report 2020, released in May, 2020, had found that India remained severely affected by malnutrition, with one of the highest rates of within-country inequalities in malnutrition globally.
The report said that the Covid-19 pandemic had affected disproportionately impacted already vulnerable populations. Like many developing countries, India, despite years of economic liberalization, is seeing inequalities and malnutrition sweeping across all parts of the country.
The report finds that India remains severely affected by malnutrition, with one of the highest rates of within-country inequalities in malnutrition globally.
However, India has also made some progress on nutrition front, said the report:
- India has been able to reduce rates of underweight in child and adolescents.
- Between 2000 and 2016, rate of underweight in child and adolescents, decreased from 66.0 per cent to 58.1 per cent for boys and 54.2 per cent to 50.1 per cent in girls.
However, India’s performance on the nutrition front is well below the Asian average which stood at 35.6 per cent for boys and 31.8 per cent for girls between the same period.
In addition, the report also found that 37.9 per cent of children under five years of age are stunted and 20.8 per cent are wasted, compared to the Asia average of 22.7 per cent and 9.4 per cent respectively.
Diet-related diseases continue to be a serious health problem in India, the Global Nutrition report had found. According to the report, one in two women of reproductive age experienced anaemia. n the other hand, rates of overweight and obesity continue to rise, affecting almost one fifth of adults at 21.6 per cent of females and 17.8 per cent of men.
