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After the launch of the 7th Rashtriya Poshan Maah, so far 1.79 crore activities have been reported from 756 districts of 35 States and UTs, according to the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The Ministry reported more than 20 lakh activities on the theme 'Complementary Feeding, a critical aspect of infant nutrition,' of the Poshan Maah. The ministry said that the reported activities demonstrate the widespread enthusiasm and commitment of people to improve nutrition outcomes among infants and young children. The ministry is observing 7th Rashtriya Poshan Maah, a month-long event aimed at improving ground-level nutrition outcomes and encouraging behavioural changes. This year's theme includes Complementary Feeding, a critical aspect of infant nutrition. The ministry advised that around or after age of 6 months, an infant's need for energy and nutrients starts to exceed that which is provided by breast milk. Complementary foods are necessary to meet those needs. An infant of this age is also developmentally ready for foods other than mother's milk. During the period of complementary feeding, children are at high risk of undernutrition. Sensitisation of the community about the time of initiation, nutritional quality, quantity and frequency of complimentary feeding will help to ensure healthy growth of children. Earlier on Saturday, the ministry said that Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh are among the top contributing states. The 7th 'Rashtriya Poshan Maah' was launched on 31st August 2024 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. It focuses on key themes such as anemia, growth monitoring, complementary feeding, and Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi, along with technology for better governance. The campaign also emphasised environmental sustainability through the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative, in which plantation is encouraged across all the operational 13.95 lakh Anganwadi centres. In terms of key focus as per the ministry, as of Saturday, over 39 lakh activities have been conducted on anemia, over 27 lakh activities on growth monitoring, almost 20 lakh activities on complementary feeding, over 18.5 lakh activities on 'Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi', and 8 lakh activities on environmental sustainability through 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam. (ANI)
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