As many as 40 teachers, principals and district child development officers of Ranchi were informed about the healthy practices and balanced diet needed for proper development of a child. A day long workshop was organized on Friday by Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, supported by Government of Jharkhand and social organization Samvedana as a part of the ongoing National Nutrition Month.
District Public Relations Officer of Ranchi, Prabhat Shankar who inaugurated the workshop said, “This workshop has been organized to ensure maximum involvement of all concerned officials from education, social welfare and health sector in the nutrition week.” He added, “They were told to not just do what they have been given the responsibility for but also go a step ahead and talk about healthy eating habit in every programme and meeting they attend to spread awareness.” Shankar said that if his office is provided a standard diet chart for all age groups he will ensure that it penetrates to the end and reaches every panchayat and village. Ravindra Gaurav, president of Samvedana said, “Nutrition means balanced diet for every age group. Be it children, new born babies, pregnant or lactating mothers, adolescent girls or others. In today’s workshop, the participants have been informed about the correct food requirement for every age group.”
He added, “This will help them spread a message when they go out in their respective work field. For example, the teachers and principals can go back to their schools and inform children about the type of food needed for them. This is a part of the massive awareness drive being organized in the Nutrition Month.” On the occasion three technical sessions were organized in which speakers were doctors from department of Preventive and Social Medicine of Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), Dr. Asha Kiran, Dr. Manisha Kujur and Dr. Vijaya Gupta. The topics of technical session included ensuring focused interventions on addressing under-nutrition during the first 1000 days of the child: Better Child Health, nutrition of pregnant lady and lactating mother, and, nutrition of adolescent girl and importance of complementary feeding.
The participants were informed that the pregnant women are supposed to eat meal comprising of iron and vitamin, one iron folic acid tablet every day from the fourth month of pregnancy for 180 days, mean having calcium and albendazole tablet from the second trimester.
