Poshan Utsav
Ministry of Women and Child Development organized Poshan Utsav at Oberoi on 29 February 2024. The event was aimed at promoting good nutrition behavior and highlighted India's ongoing efforts to tackle malnutrition by promoting good nutrition practices. Union Minister of Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister of Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs and Mr. Bill Gates, Co-Chairman of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) were present in this program.
Nutrition Utsav book released
'Poshan Utsav Book' was released at the event and the launch of Cartoon Alliance was announced. The 'Poshan Utsav Book' conceptualized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development has been prepared by Deendayal Research Institute (DRI). This book seeks to revive ancient nurturing traditions, facilitate exchange of knowledge and inter-generational learning. It also serves as a comprehensive repository for appreciation of the country's rich culinary heritage and nutritional diversity.
Cartoon alliance
The Cartoon Coalition is envisioned to support and contribute to nutrition in collaboration with MWCD. This collaboration is born out of a collaboration between renowned cartoon entities in India to harness the power of popular cartoon characters to deliver the necessary messages on nutrition in an entertaining and relatable manner to drive positive behavior change among children.
'Bill Gates' comments:
Bill Gates said the Poshan Utsav book is a great example of incorporating local context and cultural practices to promote nutritious foods in India's diverse communities. She stressed the cascading impact of improving women's lives, which will lead to sustainable progress for communities and countries.
Union Minister's keynote speech:
- The Union Minister appreciated the efforts of BMGF in the nutrition and gender sector.
- He highlighted the historic moment marked by the announcement of Poshan Abhiyaan in 2018 by the Honorable Prime Minister.
- Every Anganwadi is now digitally enabled for efficient service delivery, with handheld devices available for Anganwadi centers across the country.
- Following the operationalization of Nutrition Tracker, a significant decline has been observed in the number of SAM and MAM children compared to the data reported under the NFHS-5 survey.
Impact of Cartoon Coalition:
Cartoon Coalition aims to be an important step towards bringing about behavioral change in children for a healthy lifestyle. The presence of popular cartoon characters like Chacha Chaudhary, Supandi, Shambhu, Elmo enlivened the alliance and made it special.