Poshan Maah (National Nutrition Month) will be observed in the month of September
Health status of a population directly impacts the economy of a country. That is why nations across the globe sanction and spend huge amounts of money on schemes aimed to address the health issues of their population.
Nutrition plays a very important role in maintenance of health. As a developing country, India faces the dual problem of overnutrition in terms of obesity and related lifestyle diseases on one hand and macro and micronutrient deficiencies on the other hand.
To create awareness and to address these problems, Government of India has launched ‘Poshan Abhiyaan’ under which ‘Poshan Maah’ or the ‘National Nutrition Month’ is celebrated every year in the month of September.
The ‘Poshan Maah’ is themed every year to address critical issues related to nutrition. This year the theme is ‘Kuposhan chhod poshan ki or… thame kshetriya bhojan ki dor’. The theme highlights the importance of regional produce and regional recipes. India has a very diverse terrain with northern mountains, central plains and southern coasts with their particular soil structure and climate favouring a very diverse variety of crops. Each region has its unique flora and fauna as well as unique cuisines that use the local ingredients. These local foods are highly nutritious but with globalisation and introduction of newer cuisines, these foods are losing their importance. The theme of this year’s Poshan Maah aims to reinforce the importance of local foods and cuisines.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India has laid out a detailed plan of four weeks to celebrate the ‘Poshan Maah’ with each week focussing on a particular activity which includes plantation drives in anganwadis, promotion of Yoga and distribution of Nutrition kits and nutritious food.
