Thrust on healthy diets, lifestyle in Haryana’s Poshan Abhiyaan

The Haryana Women and Child Development Department is observing the 7th edition of Poshan Pakhwada until April 22, under the Centre’s flagship Poshan Abhiyaan, with a focus on promoting healthy and nutritious diets among women and children.

“This year’s Poshan Pakhwada is centred around the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, a critical period for growth and development,” said Women and Child Development Minister Shruti Chaudhary. “We aim to integrate modern technology with traditional nutrition practices to ensure a healthy start to life.”

‘Weighing Day’ activities are being conducted across Anganwadi centres for children under six. The minister directed officials to raise awareness about anaemia and balanced diets in every village. She also stressed the need to promote healthy lifestyle habits to prevent childhood obesity.

A detailed activity calendar has been issued to field-level supervisors, guiding them to organise campaigns on maternal nutrition, breastfeeding, and use of the Nutrition Tracker app. Door-to-door vaccination drives are underway for children up to two years old.

To reinforce the message of healthy eating, Nutritious Thali competitions are being held for children and mothers. Pregnant and lactating women are being educated on the value of essential nutrients. Special Mother Meetings are also being conducted to support caregivers of severely malnourished children with dietary guidance.

Gram Sabhas are being organised to promote digital self-registration among beneficiaries. The campaign is being run in collaboration with multiple departments and includes health camps, tree plantation drives, nutrition walks, cycle rallies, yoga sessions, workshops, webinars, and other community-based events.

Last year, the campaign recorded 3.63 lakh activities with participation from over 5.17 lakh individuals.

Haryana Tribune