The ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Kolkata organized a one-day Webinar on "National Nutrition Mission - The way forward" to create large scale awareness among the farm women, adolescent girls and special women like pregnant and lactating today.
In his inaugural address, Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Engineering), ICAR urged all the stakeholders to come forward for eradicating the anaemia, deficiency of iron, iodine and other micro-nutrients through appropriate incorporation of the essential elements in the daily diet of children and women. He also emphasized on cultivating bio-fortified varieties that would greatly help in compensating the existing deficiencies. Dr. Singh advised all the KVKs for working with 15 lakh Anganwadi Workers of the country and identifying and training the selected women in the line of Krishi Sakhi and Pashu Sakhi adopted by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.
Dr. S.K. Roy, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata highlighted the target of mitigating malnutrition, under-nutrition and obesity by 2030. He also underlined the present scenario of nutritional status of the country.
Dr. P.P. Pal, Principal Scientist & Coordinator of the Virtual Programme briefed about the nutrition's importance among the common people and its relation with doubling the farmers' income.
The experts from Calcutta University, Assam Agricultural University, Central Agricultural University and GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology covered the areas of ways for combating the hidden hunger, linking agriculture, national resource management, holistic nutrition - a challenge during COVID-19 Pandemic.
A total of 59 Krishi Vigyan Kendras along with more than 1,000 Women and Girls participated in the Webinar.
(Source: ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Kolkata)