Poshan Pakhwada to be organised from March 9 with focus on child education, dietary practices and women's health

According to an official release, the 15-day celebration will continue til March 23, 2024.

The focus of mass sensitization and community activities would be around the themes ---- Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (PBPB)- towards better Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE), Tribal, Traditional, Regional, Local dietary practices focused on sensitization around nutrition and Health of pregnant women & Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices.

"In addition to the above themes, states and UTs and partner Ministries, departments may also organize additional sensitization activities around other important areas namely improving nutrition through Mission Life (with activities around Water Conservation through Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) at AWCs), Adopting Sustainable Food Systems by promoting Millet & Poshan Vatikas, and Adopting Healthy Lifestyles through Ayush practices," it said.

It also includes Focused activities around Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) and Diarrhea management; Test, Treat, and Talk Anemia; Swasth Balak Spardha(SBS) to promote regular growth measurement of enrolled children at AWCs and a variety of other general sensitization activities that States/ UTs and partner Ministries/ Departments have been conducting since the inception of Poshan Abhiyaan.

In the last Poshan Pakhwada held in March-April 2023, more than 4 crore sensitization activities were reported which focused on themes of promotion and popularization of Shree Anna, Millets for nutritional well-being, celebration of Swasth Balak Spardha (SBS), and popularising Saksham Anganwadis.

So far, through 5 Poshan Pakhwada and 6 Poshan Maah, more than 90 crore sensitization activities have been reported by the states, UTs, partner ministries, and departments, according to the release.

One of the key objectives of Saksham Anganwadi and Mission Poshan 2.0 is to achieve nutrition-linked behavioural change at individual and community levels through Jan Bhagidari, it said.

To inculcate healthy eating habits and mass sensitization towards the same, Jan Andolans have been celebrated annually in the form of Poshan Pakhwada and Poshan Maah since the launch of POSHAN Abhiyaan in 2018.

According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Pakhwada aims to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition and promote healthy eating habits through "Jan Andolan and Jan Bhagidari".

Poshan Abhiyaan, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 8, 2018, has been instrumental in ensuring people's participation and bringing the discourse on nutrition to the forefront.

Every year, Poshan Pakhwada is celebrated in the month of March for 15 days. (ANI)