On the occasion of International Women’s Day and the second anniversary of the nutrition campaign, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the nutrition fortnight 2020 of the Women Empowerment and Child Development department at a programme held here on Sunday. The Chief Minister also unveiled the departmental mascot ‘Saruli Bua’ on the occasion.
Greeting the women of the state on the occasion, Rawat said that a dietitian should also be provided in all the fairs held in the state in order to help women tackle the problem of malnutrition. Through the use of local produce and dietitian, malnutrition and anaemia afflicting women can be treated without much delay. The chief minister further said that the state government the schemes being undertaken by the state government with the aim of empowering women should also be published widely in the remote areas of the state so that not a single eligible woman is left without benefiting from such government efforts.
During the programme the chief minister also released a short film in both Garhwali and Hindi aimed at raising public awareness on anaemia among girls and women in the state and measures to prevent and treat it.
Rawat said that in order to make the people aware of anaemia especially among females, anaemia management should be undertaken as a campaign as part of the nutrition fortnight.
This will help raise awareness to rid girls and women of anaemia in the state.Women empowerment and child development secretary Sowjanya said that the department has prepared its mascot Saruli Bua who is temperamentally simple and knowledgeable. The mascot also displays the culture of Uttarakhand and the local food grains of the state. The nutrition fortnight will be observed in the State from March 8 to 22 during which various activities will be held to make the state free of malnutrition. Women empowerment and child development director Jharna Kamthan and deputy director Sujata Singh were also among those present on the occasion.