U.P. making efforts to improve children’s nutritional diet with millets: Governor
Addressing the gathering at the event, the governor said, “Such initiatives will help us in getting rid of malnutrition-related diseases.”
VARANASI In the wake of the International Year of Millets, the Uttar Pradesh government is spreading awareness about the importance of millets in providing a nutritional diet to children and women, said governor Anandiben Patel on Thursday. She was speaking during the launch of a nutritional programme for children with multi-millet nutri-bar distribution in Varanasi.
Addressing the gathering at the event, the governor said, “Such initiatives will help us in getting rid of malnutrition-related diseases. It’s good to see cause-oriented organisations -- such as Vedanta and Anil Agarwal Foundation Aid -- coming forward for the cause. I also appreciate the efforts of the Varanasi administration for smooth execution of this intervention.”
Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF) is the philanthropic arm of Vedanta. Its Thursday event was also attended by Priya Agarwal Hebbar, chairperson of Hindustan Zinc Limited and non-executive director of Vedanta. “Vedanta’s vision to achieve zero hunger aligns with government’s POSHAN Abhiyan. We aim to address the nutritional concerns amongst the children, especially in the rural parts of India. These protein-dense millet bars are thoughtfully curated for children keeping in mind their nutritional needs, palate and preferences. We are thankful to IIMR and U.P. government for their help,” said Priya.
Notably, the recent Union Budget designated IIMR as a Centre of Excellence for sharing millet-related best practices and technologies globally. The institute has supported the nutrition intervention. “Millet as a Smart Food, must be introduced to the rural landscape about its nutritional value and health benefits -- including information on calorific content. I believe millets are an important solution in the collective march towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Dr B Dayakar Rao, principal scientist, IIMR.
AAF aims to distribute the nutri-bar targeting almost 50,000 children daily across 1,400 Anganwadi centres. The focus would be on children between the ages of 3 and 6 years. Those present on the occasion include -- S Rajalingam, District Magistrate, Varanasi; and Himanshu Nagpal, Chief Development Officer (CDO), Varanasi. The launch took place at the renovated aanganwadi centre ‘Nand Ghar’ in Kashi Vidyapith.
