People are being made aware about the benefits of nutrition power house 'Millets'

Motivation to adopt traditional nutritious food in diet

Raipur, TNINS 

Poshan Pakhwada is a state-wide event that was started on March 20 to raise nutrition and healthcare awareness as well as actions among children and women. Women and Child Development Department's Poshan Pakhwada will be held through April 3. The United Nations General Assembly has marked 2023 as the International Millet Year. Bearing this in mind, Poshan Pakhwada is being celebrated as a millets festival in Chhattisgarh this year. People are being encouraged to use this traditional healthy grain in their everyday diets by providing information about the benefits of millet, the nutritional powerhouse. Several programs are being planned for this purpose based on a special theme.

Notably, millets (coarse grains) such as kodo, kutki, and ragi are nutritious foods that can assist meet daily nutritional needs. It is also extremely good for pregnant women. They are high in nutrients such as calcium, iron, protein, and minerals. In view of this, attempts are being undertaken to enhance the popularity of 'Shri Ann,' also known as millets, for nutritional purposes. Aside from that, the healthy boy-girl competition collects information about children's nutritional state by measuring their weight, length, and height up to the age of six. Efforts are also being made to educate the public through Saksham Anganwadi centers.  Activities have been planned for each day of Poshan Pakhwada on a calendar basis. Every day, efforts are made to modify nutrition-related behavior at the individual and community levels through various activities. On a daily basis, all of these actions are recorded in the Poshan tracker app.

In addition to this, Jagrukta Rath, bike rallies are being held around the state to raise nutrition awareness. People are being made aware in major panchayats and haat-bazaars by showcasing film clips on the establishment and enhancement of healthy habits relating to nutrition, health, and care of women and children. People are being educated about excellent nutrition and benefits of adding millet to their diet in Anganwadi centers, schools, and gram panchayats. For millets-based dishes, competitions, exhibitions, and millets awareness camps are being conducted. Many self-help groups are emphasizing the importance of millet by displaying it through tricolor thali.

Meanwhile, Poshan Pakhwada also includes community-based activities such as Suposhan Choupal, meetings of women groups, meetings of parents, and an awareness program on gender sensitivity, water management, prevention, and management of anemia. This program also involves coordination from different departments, including Health and Panchayat.