VP calls to usher nutrition revolution in the country

Calls national movement to eliminate scourge of malnutrition

The Vice President (VP) of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has called for ushering a nutrition revolution in the county by creating women nutrition-warriors or change leaders at the hamlet level.

Addressing the gathering after presenting the Outlook Poshan Awards 2019 under the “Outlook Speak out-Poshan” program on nutrition, organised by Outlook India, in New Delhi, the Vice President said the change leaders must create awareness and provide counseling by visiting every home in villages and hamlets in rural areas.

Naidu also called for a national movement on the lines of Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyaan and other similar schemes to eliminate the scourge of malnutrition and other nutrition-related problems.

The Vice President stressed the need for a special focus on pregnant and lactating mothers to build future potential and see a new generation of citizens endowed with maximum physical and mental potentiality.

The Vice President said that problems such as micronutrients deficiency could be addressed by promoting naturally bio-fortified crops like minor millets, amla and drumstick. “Micronutrients deficiency results in low productivity, poor cognitive and physical development. We need to address this through supplementation, food fortification and dietary diversity,” he added.

Expressing his expressed concern that 38.4 percent of children below the age of five years were stunted in India, Naidu said that empowerment of the present and future generations should be the top priority for the country.