NSCW conducts awareness programme on Poshan Maah

KOHIMA — The Nagaland State Commission for Women (NSCW) organised an ‘awareness programme on POSHAN Maah’ on Tuesday as part of the national month-long event ‘Nutrition-Rich India, Educated India, Empowered India’.

The programme was held at Jo Foundation Inclusive School, Agri Colony, Kohima, on Tuesday and was supported by the National Commission for Women (NCW).

Addressing the programme, W Nginyeih Konyak, chairperson of the NSCW, highlighted the role and functions of the NSWC and mentioned that the NSCW envisions the Naga women in a safe environment, leading their lives with dignity, being knowledgeable about their rights and entitlements, and pursuing their chosen occupations with great freedom.

Konyak said that the commission is devoted to women’s empowerment and added that since its inception, the commission has kept abreast of debates, developments, and discourses on gender-related issues at both the national and international levels so as to shed light at the state and local levels.

The event, according to the chairperson, is a NCW directive for a nationwide programme aimed at raising awareness about the importance of nutrition and promoting healthy dietary habits.

She viewed that the Poshan Maah 2023 theme emphasises the critical interplay between nutrition, education, and empowerment in the country’s development and that ‘sashakt Bharat’, or ‘empowered India’ underscores the importance of gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment in addressing nutritional issues.

She added that the awareness campaign is also aimed at empowering children through universal access to quality education and promoting nutrition understanding in order to combat malnutrition through a lifecycle approach that targets vulnerable life stages such as pregnancy, lactation, adolescence, and children under the age of six.

She also advocated for efforts to improve nutrition, education, and empowerment in order for India to become a healthier, more literate, and empowered nation.

Meanwhile, Reyivolu Kezo, CDPO, spoke about a nutrition-rich diet for growth, emphasising the importance of drinking water, maintaining a balanced diet, and engaging in physical activities. She advised students to limit their screen time.

On the importance of adolescent health, she said that it’s a significant period for physical growth and sexual maturation.

Kezo also informed that the supplementary nutrition distribution is provided on a regular basis at Angawandi centres. Noting that there are 121 Angandi centres spread across Kohima urban, she encouraged those who are eligible to register and take advantage of the opportunities.

Dr. Kethosino Thou, medical officer, talked on the occasion about health and hygiene, while Apila Sangtam, a legal consultant, gave a talk on the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012; and the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

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