Photo exhibition on Poshan Maah held at PWC

DIMAPUR — The Central Bureau of Communication, Field Office, Kohima, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in collaboration with the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Pranabananda Women’s College (PWC), Dimapur, organised a photo exhibition on Poshan Maah  ‘Suposhit Bharat, Sakshar Bharat, Sashakt Bharat’ at the college premises on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion as chief guest, joint secretary of Pranabananda Women’s College, Swami Chinmayanandajee Maharaj, said that the institution is under the management of Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS), which was established in 1991 with a specific focus on educating women and also making it the first women’s college in Nagaland.

Maharaj mentioned that the BSS currently oversees 33 educational institutions, including schools and colleges, across the Northeastern states with a commitment to educating the girl child.

Giving an overview of the Rashtriya Poshan Abhiyan, the consultant for behavioural change communication and capacity building for the Rashtriya Poshan Abhiyaan Nagaland Chapter, Peter Vero, mentioned that Poshan Abhiyaan is a Government of India’s flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children under 6 years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Vero also informed that in order to ensure community mobilisation and bolster people’s participation, Poshan Maah is celebrated across the country every year in the month of September.

On the other hand, Poshan Pakhwada is celebrated in the month of March with an aim to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition and promote healthy eating habits through Jan Andolan and Jan Bhagidari, he said.

The chief objective of the mission is to reduce the level of under-nutrition and also enhance the nutritional status of children in the country, Vero added.

Vero mentioned that the specific targets of Poshan Abhiyaan include reducing stunting by 2% annually, under-nutrition by 2% annually, anaemia by 3% annually and low birth weight by 2% annually.

He also dwelled on the public health implications of anaemia and stressed the importance of monitoring children’s growth.

Managing director of Nikos Hospital, Dimapur, Dr. KhusbooAgarwal, delivered a discourse on women’s hygiene. On the occasion, the result of the essay competition on healthy babies was also announced and the winners were felicitated.