Celebrations of ‘Rashtriya POSHAN Maah’ (or National Nutrition Month) 2021, aimed at increasing the nutritional awareness and responsiveness among children, are under way in the schools of Jammu division.
Dr Ravi Shankar Sharma, Director School Education Jammu, says, “Ministry of Education has directed the School Education Departments to observe the Rashtriya POSHAN Maah during the month of September in all educational institutions, intending to achieve the holistic goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan with swiftness in a harmonized manner.”
He adds, “Subsequently, all the Chief Education Officers of Jammu division have been requested to issue necessary instructions to HOIs of all the Educational Institutions/Zonal Education Officers of their respective district for carrying out all the proposed activities and ensure maximum participation of students in the online competitions.”
The CEOs have also been asked to ensure that the activities are organized while following all the Covid-19 SOPs issued by the Government from time to time and by maintaining Covid-19 Appropriate Behavior, and submit action taken report on weekly basis along with videos/pictures.
Series of activities being carried out or to be carried out in the schools this month include POSHAN Assemblies with students in virtual/physical mode to discuss malnutrition, its impact on society and value of healthy and balanced diet; Covering the portion in the NCERT curriculum on nutrition and physical health in all classes; E-quiz focusing on malnutrition, nutrition awareness organized on MyGov portal or States/UT platforms; Special plantation drive in school Nutrition (Kitchen) Garden; Relevant program telecast on SWAYAMPRABHA channels of Ministry of Education; Parent-Teacher Meetings in online/offline mode by all school/class teachers with regard to nutrition and its relationship to physical and mental health and wellbeing; Initiation of social audits of Mid-Day Meal benefits by all States/UTs.
“Nutrition plays an important role in the overall development of an individual. The schools, which have been made part of the POSHAN Abhiyaan recently, can help accelerate the program activities, mobilize the public and ensure their participation. They can help deliver good results in promoting the importance of nutrition and improving the malnutrition parameters like stunting, wasting, underweight, obesity, and anaemia in children,” Dr Sharma asserts.
Pertinently, POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) Abhiyaan, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 March, 2018, is a flagship program to address the problem of malnutrition and improve nutritional outcomes for children, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Also: Read my article at The News Now
National Nutrition Month celebrations underway in schools across J&K
Published in The News Now on 8th September, 2021
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