National Nutrition Week is an annual observance in India that occurs from 1 to 7 September. During this week, the nation comes together to raise awareness about the importance of proper nutrition and its role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) is celebrating the 6th Rashtriya Poshan Maah throughout September 2023.
Key Highlights About Poshan Maah 2023
- The focus is on comprehensively addressing malnutrition using a life-cycle approach, which is a key component of Mission Poshan 2.0.
- The main objective is to raise awareness about critical life stages, including pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, in order to promote better nutrition across India.
- ‘Suposhit Bharat, Sakshar Bharat, Sashakt Bharat’ (Nutrition-rich India, Educated India, Empowered India), emphasising the importance of nutrition, education, and empowerment in building a healthier and stronger country.
This Year’s Initiatives
- During this month-long event, the MoWCD will lead nationwide efforts to raise awareness about nutrition, focusing on key themes such as Exclusive Breastfeeding and Complementary Feeding.
These efforts include activities like
- Swasth Balak Spardha (Healthy Child Competition) to encourage healthy competition for better nutrition and overall well-being.
- Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (Nutrition and Education), improving nutrition through Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), sensitising tribal communities about nutrition, and addressing anaemia through a Test, Treat, Talk approach.
2022’s Progress
- During 2022 Poshan Maah, more than 170 million sensitization activities took place, focusing on key themes related to nutrition.
- Over 600 million activities have been conducted as part of the Jan Andolan movement during Poshan Pakhwadas (March) and Poshan Maahs (September) each year.
Poshan Abhiyaan
- It is a flagship initiative by the Government of India (GoI) for addressing malnutrition comprehensively.
- This integration aims to create an integrated nutrition support program that enhances the content, delivery, outreach, and overall outcomes of nutritional services.
- The primary focus is on promoting practices that improve health, wellness, and immunity against diseases and malnutrition.
- Target Audience:
- It targets pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls, and children under 6 years of age.
Poshan Tracker App
- In 2021, the MoWCD launched an application called Poshan Tracker.
As of February 2022, the number of beneficiaries registered on Poshan Tracker
