The Kejriwal Govt’s Women and Child Welfare Department organized a grand closing ceremony of ‘Poshan Mah’ on Saturday. WCD Minister Atishi was the chief guest at the Closing Ceremony. In the battle against malnutrition, the Kejriwal government is empowering its Anganwadi workers to spread nutritional awareness amongst Delhi’s families. Under this initiative during the past month, the Kejriwal government’s Anganwadi workers have raised awareness among lakhs of families in Delhi about improving their dietary habits and encouraged them to include nutritious whole grains in their meals.
Today, on the occasion of the closing ceremony of ‘Poshan Mah’, Women and Child Development Minister Atishi interacted with Anganwadi workers and lauded them for their relentless efforts to combat malnutrition amongst women and children. She said “the Kejriwal government is working diligently to eradicate malnutrition in Delhi, and our Anganwadi workers play a crucial role in this mission.” In this regard, over the past month, our Anganwadi workers have raised awareness among lakhs of families in Delhi about developing good eating habits related to nutrition.
Women and Child Development Minister Atishi said that currently, a significant section of the country is affected by malnutrition despite India being one of the top food-producing nations. This raises the question of why many people in the country are malnourished despite our leadership in food production. She mentioned that poverty and inequality are certainly contributing factors, but a major reason is the lack of awareness about nutrition-related habits.
She emphasised that due to the lack of awareness, “a large population today consumes food that lacks essential nutrients. People are influenced by advertisements and include many food items in their diet that do not provide proper nutrition. Therefore, it is crucial for us to be aware and change our eating habits to obtain essential nutrition.” In this direction, the Women and Child Development Department and our Anganwadi workers have done groundbreaking work, spreading awareness about what we should eat, to provide proper nutrition to our families.
Women and Child Development Minister Atishi said that an important step in ending malnutrition is incorporating coarse grains like jowar and bajra into our diets. She mentioned that for centuries, the culture of consuming these grains existed in India, but processed foods have taken their place, leading to inadequate nutrition for people. Therefore, if we want to eliminate malnutrition, we must adopt coarse grains into our diet, and this change must begin from our homes. In this regard, our Anganwadi workers serve the indispensable role of educating people.
She also emphasized that as important as nutrition is, education is equally crucial. Research indicates that children’s mental development is most significant up to the age of 5. Hence, it is essential that during this age, children receive proper nutrition and care. She expressed her satisfaction that the Kejriwal government’s Anganwadi centers are providing information to the public about wuality nutrition, strengthening the foundation of the country.
Through the ‘Poshan Mart,’ Anganwadi workers of the Kejriwal government demonstrated how important a diet based on coarse grains like jowar and bajra is for a healthy lifestyle. In the program, the Anganwadi workers also displayed various food items and delicacies based on coarse grains and delivered the message that even in less economically privileged households, a diet centered on coarse grains can be incorporated for better nutrition.
