September month to be celebrated as ‘Rashtriya Poshan Maah’

Union Government is celebrating the entire month of September as “Rashtriya Poshan Maah” (National Nutrition Month) to emphasise the need for healthy nutrition. This initiative is aimed at sensitising public on healthy eating, addressing twin issues of malnutrition and undernutrition and obesity in some sections and also intensifying existing nationwide campaign for ‘malnutrition-free India‘.

About Rashtriya Poshan Maah

Theme: ‘Complementary Feeding’

Rashtriya Poshan Maah was first announced by PM Modi in his recent ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme, while speaking about malnutrition. He also highlighted that due to lack of awareness, both poor and affluent families are affected by it.

Purpose of celebrating Poshan month is to take message of nutrition to every nook and corner of India and to focus on complimentary food, treatment and prevention from infections in children.

POSHAN Abhiyaan:

POSHAN stands for Prime Minister’s Overreaching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment. The POSHAN Abhiyaan is a multi- ministerial convergence mission with vision to address malnutrition with a targeted approach by 2022.

Poshan Abhiyaan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2018 from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. It aims at achieving improvement in nutritional status of children up to 6 years of age, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2019