5TH RASHTRIYA POSHAN MAH: ADDRESSING NUTRITIONAL CHALLENGES 

Ajay Verma ( The Mirror Time)

Fatehgarh Sahib

NSS units of World University celebrated the 5th Rashtriya Poshan Maah to create awareness about the importance of a balanced and nutritious diet. Acquainting about the programs, Dr Harneet Billing Programme Coordinator (NSS) shared that the volunteers will engage in a series of activities like organizing nutrition fairs at schools to create awareness, donating balanced and nutritional meals to underprivileged children living in their neighborhoods, healthy salad making competition, educating through toys, talks on adolescent girls’ health and hygiene and model making competition.  

The volunteers have already organized two out of a total of four nutrition fairs in collaboration with the Department of Food Processing Technology at GHS, Bharionpur and   GHS Madopur. The volunteers shared with the school students about the need and importance of a balanced diet, components of food, dietary requirements at different developmental stages, food adulteration and deficiency disease. Similar Fairs will be organized at more secondary schools in the following days.

A healthy salad-making competition was also organized in continuation with the Poshan Mah celebrations. The event witnessed an overwhelming response from students of all departments. Mr Rupinder Pal Singh, Incharge, of the Department of Food Processing Technology detailed the participants about the rules of competitions. The participants were given one hour for the presentation and preparation of the salad. They were also required to give a presentation about the nutritional value of their preparation. The event was judged by Dr Preet Kaur, DSW and Ms Ramandeep Kaur, NSS Programme Officer on the parameters of creativity, presentation, neatness and edibility. The top three best presentations were Inderpal Singh (B. Tech Food Processing Technology), Harwinder Singh (B. Tech Food Processing Technology) and Sanjana & Amrit Preet Kaur (B. Tech Food Processing Technology) Prof S.S. Billing, Dean Academic Affairs congratulated the students and urged them to adopt healthy eating habits for physical well-being. Prof Prit Pal Singh , Vice Chancellor, said that an effective social and behaviour change communication strategy is required to achieve optimal nutrition practices by addressing social and cultural barriers. Mr Rupinder Pal Singh expressed gratitude to all the participants, judges and dignitaries for their support and encouragement.