Bhubaneswar, Sep 29: Poshan Maah, a month long campaign is being observed across the state in September. Since the launch of Poshan, Abhiyaan in 2018, every year, September is observed as Poshan month in the entire country.

In order to maintain the momentum and to capitalize the gains of Jan Andolan and Community mobilization planned under Poshan Abhiyaan, Rashtriya Poshan Maah is being observed. The objective is to take the messages of POSHAN to the grass root level, increase awareness on good nutrition practices and behaviours and to ensure enhanced uptake of services by the community.

The focus areas of this year’s observation is early identification of children with severe acute malnutrition/ moderate acute malnutrition and severely underweight children which will help in initiating early treatment and referral of such children.

The state has started an initiative of adoption of such SAM/MAM/SUW by the ICDS functionaries which will ensure focused attention and care for such identified children. Another focus area is on increasing awareness and promoting IYCF practices among the beneficiaries. The message that breast feeding couples with complementary feeding helps in preventing malnutrition is being promoted intensively during Poshan Maah.

Setting up of Mo Upakari Bagicha at the AWC level and the household of families of SAM children and high risk pregnant mothers in convergence with the Department of Horticulture is being promulgated by the Department this year. The objective is to ensure dietary diversity and consumption of locally available vegetables and fruits.

Other focus areas are on 1000 days approachie focused interventions from conception till the child attains 2 years of age for ensuring health and nutrition outcomes for the mother and child. The frontline workers counsel the pregnant women on Antenatal care, Postnatal care, Optimal breastfeeding and Complementary feeding.

Mobilizing the PRI members for nutrition will help in achieving the desired outcomes for which POSHAN Panchayats have been planned this year at the GP leve lin convergence with the Department of PR &DW. This is a unique activity aimed at encouraging local engagement and support for nutrition.

Due to the pandemic situation, the focus is on re-positioning from the conventional modes of information to the digital mode. Various medium such as virtual meetings, social media, mass media and print media has been used to bring visibility to Poshan Maah in the state.