Month-long Poshan Maah draws to successful close in Hailakandi district

Sept.30: The month-long Poshan Maah came to a successful close in Hailakandi district here on Tuesday. At a closing ceremony held at the conference hall, Deputy Commissioner, Megh Nidhi Dahal thanked the health functionaries and other stakeholders for making the Poshan Maah a resounding success, asked them to focus on the nutritional aspects especially pregnant women, lactating mothers and children to reduce the anemia level in the district. Dahal said the Anganwadi workers could play a pivotal role in removing deficiency in children and new born by focusing on nutritional aspects of pregnant women and lactating mothers.

“For a healthy and strong nation, we have to focus on the pregnant women and lactating mothers so that there is no deficiency in children at nascent stage. For laying the foundation of a healthy and strong nation for 25 to 30 years for now, we have to focus on nutritional aspects as well as on sanitation, pure drinking water and hand washing practices,” Dahal quipped. Dahal said to come out of vicious cycle of malnutrition, the best way to tackle is through intake of nutritious food.

Emphasising on holistic approach to deal with the problems of malnutrition and anemia, Dahal said the Poshan Abhiyaan must be carried out as a routine exercise to reduce them. Later, the Deputy Commissioner gave away prizes to the winners of online essay competition on nutrition. 11 field level functionaries who actively participated in the Poshan Maah were felicitated by Deputy Commissioner, Dahal and District Social Welfare Officer, Jyotirmoy Daimary. The Deputy Commissioner also handed over recipes of amla-gur candy to Self Help Groups to reduce anemia.

The district administration along with Social Welfare department and line departments took up a slew of initiatives during the Poshan Maah such as identification and tackling of severe acute malnourished children (SAM) and moderate acute malnourished children (MAM), amla gur candy, maa-beti mela, dibbi adaan pradhan, amla-papaya saplings plantation and digital Poshan panchayat in eight blocks. Nutri gardens in 50 selected Anganwadi centres and community land were set up and handed over to Self Help Groups for taking care.

Making a power point presentation on the activities and challenges confronted during Poshan Maah 2019 and 2020, District Coordinator, Poshan, Rajat Chakraborty said the number of SAM children has come down drastically from 329 as on April 2019 to 72.Chakrabarty said one of the laudable initiatives taken were engaging Anganwadi Helpers as ‘Anemia Masi’ who reached out to the households of pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner, Dahal inaugurated 85 No.Monacherra Grant Anganwadi Centre under Lala ICDS Project in the presence of officials of concerned departments. He also personally gifted an induction stove with utensils to the model Anganwadi Centre and promised gas connections to all the Anganwadi Centres for preparing hot cooked meal under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme.