‘Poshan on wheels’ flagged off in Cachar; Bus to spread awareness on nutrition

Sept 3: The inauguration of POSHAN Maah, 2021 in Cachar district was celebrated by Social Welfare Department with pomp and grandeur. The ceremony was inaugurated by Additional Deputy Commissioner, Social Welfare, Jessica Rose Lalsim and District Development Commissioner, Cachar, Rajib Roy along with District Social Welfare Officer, Cachar, Saswati Shom at Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Cachar on Friday.

The inaugural ceremony was followed by a rally of Anganwadi women workers and Anganwadi Health workers along with Supervisors and POSHAN Coordinators and Assistants of the District and Block. The “POSHAN on wheels” bus was flagged off from the Deputy Commissioner Office. The vehicle will move towards Banskandi, Rajabazar, Lakhipur and Binnakandi. ICDS Projects to mobilize the population of tea garden areas on adequate nutrition and celebration of the POSHAN Maah. This “POSHAN on wheels” bus will travel across all the ICDS Project of the district for the next five days and mobilize population of the district on required messages on nutrition.

Speaking on the occasion, District Social Welfare Officer Cachar, Saswati Shom said, “POSHAN on Wheels signifies the awareness of the masses in order to eradicate malnutrition from the children of age group of 6 months to 6 years as well anemic pregnant women and nursing mothers”. The POSHAN on wheels will ply in Cachar for 5 days and after that it will be handed to District Social Welfare Officer Karimganj for 3 days and after that to Hailakandi for 3 days and then will move to Guwahati to cover other districts.”

Emphasising on the significance of Poshan Maah, Shom said that the main focus of POSHAN on wheels is to aware the beneficiaries of tea garden areas as most of the Severely Acute Malnourished children are detected in this area as well as anemic pregnant women and nursing mother. DSWO, Shom said, “If through this awareness we can decrease Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) and anemic during this 1 month, then we will think that we have achieved the goal”.

She further stated that inside the vehicle, all the Growth Monitoring devices are set for measuring and weighing children in the tea garden areas and during this month all the Anganwadi women workers and Awanwadi Health workers are weighing children of their concerned Anganwadi centers to ascertain SAM and Normal children in Cachar district.

It is pertinent to mention that Severely Acute Malnourished children who need special attention will be diagnosed by the Doctors from Rastriya Bal Sahasthya Karyakam and will be shifted to Nutrition Rehabilitation Center in civil hospital for better treatment and nutrition.