To mark the occasion of World Nutrition Day (28th May), the Impact4Nutrition (I4N) Madhya Pradesh Secretariat, in collaboration with UNICEF, hosted a high-impact session on Corporates and Nutrition at the UNICEF Bhopal office. The session brought together key stakeholders from the corporate and development sectors to explore how businesses in Bhopal can meaningfully contribute to improving nutrition outcomes across the state.
Anil Gulati, Chief of Field Office (a.i.), UNICEF Madhya Pradesh, thanked Impact4Nutrition partners to come together for a cause of nutrition and urged the private sector to play a proactive role in advancing nutrition for women and children. “Corporate engagement is vital in creating equal opportunities for every child to grow, thrive, and reach their full potential,” he said.
Following which Pushpa Awasthy, Nutrition Specialist at UNICEF Madhya Pradesh, highlighted the current nutritional status of women and children in the state. She discussed the essential components of a balanced diet and how nutrients like iron and calcium interact in the body. Pushpa Awasthy emphasized the importance of promoting balanced diets through initiatives like UNICEF’s #MeriThaliSehatWali, to counter the rising popularity of unhealthy food choices.
The event was also graced by Suresh Tomar, Joint Director, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh. He reiterated the department’s strong support for corporate and institutional partners working towards child nutrition and development.
Corporate partners and institutions in attendance actively shared ideas and proposed action points to strengthen their support for the Impact4Nutrition mission:
Manish Rajoria, Chairman of Career Society, proposed organizing anaemia awareness sessions and producing animated nutrition content in Hindi for early learners. Sonal Shrivastava, President and HR Head Netlink and Shradha Suhane from Young Indians offered to support printing and distribution of nutrition materials for anganwadis, with Netlink also expressing willingness to adopt anganwadi centres and provide food support, subject to government approval. Ritu Sharma, owner of Sanidhya NGO requested a simplified 7-day general meal plan to guide donors and enhance community-level awareness.
Tapas Garg, CSR Head at Kalakunj shared experiences from adopting 10 anganwadis in Daulatpur and suggested innovative recipe ideas to keep children engaged with their meals. Punit Nagpal from Rotary Club of Lakes, Bhopal committed to installing water purifiers in anganwadi centres, including in Narmadapuram district.