Nutrition is the key for the Healthy India. If we integrate the agriculture with the nutritional growth of Fruits and Vegetables, the new generation shall be healthy and nutrition smart villages can be developed. Recently in Madhya Pradesh an International workshop was organized. To educate the public a showcase was also arranged.
An International Workshop on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Nutrition Literacy was organized during May 14-16, 2018 at Bhopal jointly by ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes, Jabalpur and Women and Child Development Department, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.
Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Mines, Government of India, in his inaugural speech assured that his ministry will extend all the help and support for successful implementation of the Nutri-Smart villages in the M.P. He later inaugurated an exhibition of laid out on the occasion.
Smt. Archna Chitnis, Minister of Women and Child Development has applauded the support received by ICAR-ATARI, Jabalpur in the implementation of the Nutri-Smart villages for enhancing the nutrition literacy and make the child more healthy and happy for making India a brighter country. She informed that at present there are 313 Nutri-Smart villages, one in each block of the M.P. All the development departments are involved with clear role and agenda for making the village Nutri-Smart in real sense.
Dr. A.K.Singh, Deputy Director General (AE), ICAR New Delhi during his valedictory speech shared about the new initiative of ICAR in the form of Nutri-Sensitive Agricultural Resources and Innovations (NARI) for making the evolving new extension methodologies and approaches for long lasting effect of the efforts in this direction. He further added that ICAR has initiated several other projects like Knowledge Systems and Homestead Agriculture Management in Tribal Areas (KSHMTA), and Value-addition and Technology Incubation Centres in Agriculture (VATICA), etc. to make the society happy, healthy and educated so that the development efforts could be ensured.
Dr.Anupam Mishra, Director, ICAR-ATARI Jabalpur has enumerated the steps of the genesis of the Nutri-Smart Village through nutrition sensitive agriculture in the state. He further added that nutrition security has multi-fold effect on the health and economy of the society. It is directly linked with the poverty and education. KVKs are playing pivotal role in bringing nutritional security in the state through appropriate technological interventions.
Prof. S.K. Rao Vice Chancellor RVSKVV Shri J.K. Kansotiya, Principal Secretary Women and Child Development, Ms. Sonali Ponche Vayagankar, MD, MVVN,Mr. Michael Juma, CEO, UNICEF, Director of Extension, and other officials from the ICAR, Line departments & other international organizations like UNICEF, IFAD, IRRI, CMMYT, ICRISAT, etc participated in the programme.
