Chandigarh.26th March,2021:
The Department of Social Welfare, Women & Child Development, Chandigarh Administration began the mission of Poshan Pakhwada 2021, on 16th March. Since then, the activities have swarmed the city and helped the public understand c The public has enthusiastically participated and taken great interest in the activities undertaken by the Department in Chandigarh. The Department has been continuously taking efforts to help the needy and improve the health of identified SAM and MAM children.
March 26 began with a children’s cycle rally at New Flats, Maloya wherein the children cycled for a small distance and were given refreshments. They were taught the importance of nutritious meals and asked to avoid junk foods so that they grow up to be nourished and physically strong. They were targeted to instil the idea of mental and physical fitness through eating proper meals, at such sensitive ages.
Another major activity was a lecture on Poshan Vatikas, wherein the beneficiaries were encouraged to sow medicinal plants and herbs in their gardens so that they can be utilized as a crucial part of their meals. Various medicinal plants help in building the immune system and increase blood circulation in the body. They were taught about their importance and highlighted the effects caused by serious deficiencies. The Poshan Vatikas provide all the ingredients to a Poshtik Ahaar.
An anaemia camp was organized at Butrela, Chandigarh. The beneficiaries were checked for iron deficiency in their blood and the ones suffering were given iron tablets and information about diverse iron-rich foods that can be used in preparing a diet and meals. Lectures on Anaemia were also organized in various places in the city. The beneficiaries of these lectures were given iron-rich refreshments and distribution of iron-rich tablets took place during those lectures, instilling the importance of iron in the bloodstream.
The Department organized lectures on Poshan ke 5 Sutras, oral hygiene and care of SAM/MAM children. The parents were being counselled during the whole Pakhwada and with the help of this lecture, the people in the surrounding area have been made aware of the needs of these children. The parents of children with low birth weight were counselled to take wholesome care of their children, and give them various diets to improve their health. The growth of such children was monitored for their improvement and follow up was taken on SAM children.
A Mehndi Competition was organized on the theme of Poshan, and awareness about the Poshan Helpline Number 180018002244 was spread in the city through various aids. A series of other activities were also conducted in the city, with Anganwadi Workers’ help of all 450 Anganwadi Centres. Tree plantation drives were carried out, along with awareness on medicinal plants and their usage in daily diets, nutrition and building a strong immune system. Home visits on exclusive breastfeeding were carried out in the city focusing on pregnant and new mothers’ needs. Mother meeting was one of the major activities carried out during the day, to help them with any nutrition and feeding-related queries.
