Nutrition is not just about eating; it’s about building resilience, immunity, and vitality
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," Hippocrates once said, and nowhere does this ancient wisdom ring truer than in India today. As we step into September, the nation gears up to celebrate ‘Poshan Maah’ or Nutrition Month, a nationwide initiative aimed at ensuring that every bite counts toward building a healthier, stronger India. The theme for Poshan Maah 2024 encompasses a variety of crucial focus areas, including anemia, growth monitoring, supplementary nutrition, Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi (Nutrition and Education), good governance, transparency, and efficient service delivery through technology. These comprehensive nutrition-related themes aim to address all essential aspects of health and well-being. Throughout the month, theme-based activities will be organized nationwide, promoting awareness and action to improve nutrition across the country.
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Poshan Maah is no ordinary observance. It is the heart and soul of the POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition), India's flagship program to combat malnutrition. Launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, this mission-mode campaign focuses on improving nutritional outcomes for children under six, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. Poshan Maah aims to strengthen India’s nutrition landscape, turning the fight against malnutrition into a community-driven movement that reaches every corner of the country.
Poshan Maah isn’t just another box to tick on the national calendar—it’s either already the most important national observance or, if it’s not, then its high time we make it so. The answer lies in the hard-hitting numbers that speak louder than words. After all, a nation can only march forward if its people aren’t too anaemic to get out of bed! With malnutrition and anaemia rates stubbornly hanging around, Poshan Maah is the perfect reminder that our development goals need to be served with a healthy side of nutrition. It’s not just about filling plates, but ensuring that what’s on them fuels a healthier, stronger India. Despite being a rapidly developing nation, India grapples with the heavy burden of malnutrition.
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), about 35.5% of children under five are underweight, and nearly 19% suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting. Additionally, anaemia continues to haunt the nation. As per UNICEF 2022, a staggering 40% of girls and 18% of boys in India are anaemic. Adolescents in Assam show an alarming rise in anaemia rates, with 67.2% of girls and 39.6% of boys aged 15-19 being affected—figures significantly higher than those from the NFHS 2015-16. In the Kamrup-Metropolitan District, the anaemia prevalence has escalated to 80.6%. These numbers highlight a critical need for urgent and comprehensive action.
Assam is at the forefront of this national movement. On September 1, 2024, the 7th National Nutrition Month was officially inaugurated by Ajanta Neog, Assam’s Minister of Finance and Social Welfare, at Tarunram Phukan Ground in Morigaon. The event, organized by the Department of Women and Child Development, marked the beginning of a month-long statewide campaign aimed at promoting nutrition and health awareness across Assam. The campaign is designed to engage communities at all levels, from villages to cities, to address malnutrition and improve the health of women and children. In an effort to support this cause, cheques worth Rs 6,000 were distributed to several lactating mothers under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, underscoring the government's commitment to maternal health and nutritional support.
A standout initiative that brings this goal closer to reality is the establishment of Nutri-Gardens or Poshan Vatika at Anganwadi centres. These gardens are not just patches of greenery—they are lifelines for local communities, providing fresh, nutritious produce tailored to the local ecological and cultural context. They play a vital role in enhancing immunity, improving diet quality, and combating malnutrition at the grassroots level.
At the core of the POSHAN Abhiyaan is the Jan Andolan, a mass public movement encouraging community-driven action against malnutrition. The concept is simple yet powerful: when communities take ownership of nutritional well-being, real change becomes possible. The success of PoshanMaah hinges on this collective responsibility—everyone, from mothers to government officials, plays a role in this battle. The Poshan Sanjha Chulah initiative in the urban slums of Bhopal is an excellent example of such a community-based approach. By providing additional energy, protein, and micronutrient supplementation to underweight children, it has shown tangible improvements in weight gain and overall health.
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However, for all its ambition, the road to a malnutrition-free India is not without challenges. One of the most significant hurdles lies in achieving convergence—the coordinated effort among various departments and sectors, such as health, education, and sanitation. While there is a solid framework in place, especially in rural areas, the on-ground execution often suffers from fragmentation. Studies show that although policies are sound, the lack of coordination between sectors often hinders progress. This is particularly true in rural regions, where the complexities of integrating services pose a formidable challenge.
The magic of Poshan Maah lies not in top-down directives but in its ability to engage people from all walks of life. So, how do we get people to wake up and smell the nutrient-rich veggies and fruits? Well, the message of nutrition must be as omnipresent as the air we breathe. Grassroots outreach programs should be conducted at village, block, and district levels, engaging healthcare providers like ASHA workers and Anganwadi staff to spread the word. The message of "nutrition for all" should reach even the most remote areas. Public service announcements, community-based competitions, and even social media campaigns will ensure that Poshan Maah becomes a household name. Moreover, innovative themes like "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" (A Tree for the Mother) will creatively combine nutrition with environmental stewardship, encouraging communities to plant trees in honour of maternal health and well-being. Imagine the power of a simple act like planting a tree, symbolising both nourishment and growth for generations to come.
The celebration of Poshan Maah should not just be a reminder of what we should eat but of how we should live. By focusing on a holistic approach to nutrition—one that embraces physical health, mental well-being, and environmental sustainability—this campaign stands as a testament to the power of community action. The vision is not just to fill stomachs but to nourish bodies, minds, and futures. As we move through this month, let’s not forget: nutrition is not just about eating; it’s about building resilience, immunity, and vitality. It’s about ensuring that every meal serves as a stepping stone toward a brighter, healthier tomorrow. And as we plant seeds of awareness and action during this Poshan Maah, let us hope that they bloom into a future where malnutrition is nothing more than a distant memory in the annals of India’s history.
(The writer is Senior Research Fellow, NIFTEM -TLO Guwahati.)