Governor Droupadi Murmu today said that malnutrition of children remained not only a serious threat to the State, but also for mankind as a whole. Murmu asked the government machinery, Non-Government Organizations (NGO) and all stake-holders working in this regard to act in more concerted manner to eradicate malnutrition from the state.
“It is good to see that we have attained considerable achievement as far as areas related to infant and child mortality, primary education and poverty eradication are concerned. At the same time, we are still struggling with challenges like malnutrition which is a problem not only unethical, but also a hurdle in economic and social development. The only way to overcome it is a concerted effort of all the stakeholders including government, other than whatever government has already been doing,” said Murmu.
The Governor was speaking today at ‘Jharkhand Development Dialogue’ lecture under ‘UNICEF on Campus Knowledge Initiative’, an ongoing series to commemorate UNICEF’s 70th anniversary. The theme of the lecture was “Reaching the Unreached: A March towards Sustainable Development Goals 2030”.
The programme was also attended by senior UN professional and communication expert Dr. Deepak Gupta, Jharkhand Nutrition Mission Director General Mridula Sinha, Principal Secretary to the Governor SK Satapathy and over 200 NGO partners, government officials, faculty and students of XISS.
Murmu said, “There are two unique windows of opportunity provided to us during a child’s lifetime. The first window of opportunity is provided by the first 1,000 days of life - the time spanning roughly between conception and one’s second birthday. Adolescence provides us with a second window of opportunity for a positive and holist development of every child. The government, donors, businesses, families, communities, NGOs/CSOs, the media and international organizations together can accelerate efforts to address the needs of the most disadvantages children.”
Chief UNICEF Jharkhand Dr. Madhulika Jonathan said at the occasion that UNICEF believed that there was a hope for every child. The conviction that every child was born with the same inalienable right to a healthy, safe childhood remained a constant thread through the history of the organization. She pointed that UNICEF’s continued viability depended on applying past lessons learned to the challenges ahead, and harnessing the power of innovation to solve tomorrow’s problems.
“UNICEF’s mission focuses on the whole child – including that child’s mental and physical health, and his or her access to education, legal and social protection, safe water and sanitation, and more. UNICEF’s results are qualitative: it believes that children should not only survive but also thrive in their households, classrooms and communities,” she added.
Mridula Sinha pointed out that adolescents were often forgotten in the development dialogue. “There is a need to invest in expanding opportunities for every child – shifting policies, programming and public spending priorities so the most disadvantaged have a chance to catch up with the most advantaged. We must respect and recognize the aspirations and abilities of every child, be it infant or adolescent. Specific programmes and interventions of the Government,” Sinha said.