SME Times News Bureau | 03 Aug, 2019
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has called for
ushering a nutrition revolution in the county by creating women
nutrition-warriors or change leaders at the hamlet level.
Addressing the gathering after presenting the
Outlook Poshan Awards 2019 under the “Outlook Speak out-Poshan” program on
nutrition, organised by Outlook India, on Saturday,
The Vice President said the change leaders must
create awareness and provide counselling by visiting every home in villages and
hamlets in rural areas.
Naidu also called for a national movement on the
lines of Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyaan and other similar
schemes to eliminate the scourge of malnutrition and other nutrition-related
problems.
The Vice President stressed the need for a
special focus on pregnant and lactating mothers to build future potential and
see a new generation of citizens endowed with maximum physical and mental
potentiality.
Naidu also urged media and cinema, the powerful
communication tools of modern society, to create awareness on the importance of
nutrition.
Besides the government, the society at large also
has responsibility in addressing the problem of malnutrition. “We need to
change the mindset and outlook of the people”, he added.
Describing India as a young nation with 65 per
cent of the people under the age of 35 years, the Vice President said that
their health and wellbeing was crucial for India to fast-track progress and
achieves its rightful place in the comity of nations.
He said that nutrition was essential for a
healthy immune system and higher-order cognitive ability.
The Vice President said that problems such as
micronutrients deficiency could be addressed by promoting naturally
bio-fortified crops like minor millets, amla and drumstick. “Micronutrients
deficiency results in low productivity, poor cognitive and physical
development.
We need to address this through supplementation,
food fortification and dietary diversity,” he added.
Expressing his expressed concern that 38.4
percent of children below the age of five years were stunted in India, Shri
Naidu said that empowerment of the present and future generations should be the
top priority for the country.
Pointing out that hunger and obesity were the
double burden of malnutrition, the Vice President called upon all stakeholders
and policymakers in the health sector to immediately focus combating the
problem.
Calling for building on the best practices and
models to eradicate malnutrition, he said the government and development
partners must come together on a common platform to work for this national
cause.
The Vice President urged the corporate sector to
allocate more funds under CSR for nutrition-related interventions. He also
wanted Parliamentarians to utilize MPLAD funds for similar activities and
suggested that MNREGA scheme could also focus on nutrition-related activities
like nutri-gardens/kitchen gardens on community lands.
The Vice President observed that Indian food and
diet system, with their diversity, promote good nutrition and wanted the
people, particularly the youngsters to shun eating junk food. “Instant food
means constant disease”, he cautioned.
Shri Naidu, while stressing the need for
immunization to prevent children from falling prey to various dangerous
diseases, lauded the Government’s “Mission Indradhanush" program to
improve immunization coverage.
The Editor-in-Chief, Outlook, Ruben
Banerjee, the CEO, Outlook, Indranil Roy and other dignitaries were also
present on the occasion.