Bhopal corporate entities come together to support nutrition interventions under Impact4Nutrition

Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: To mark the World Nutrition Day (28th May), the Impact4Nutrition (I4N) Madhya Pradesh Secretariat, in collaboration with UNICEF office of Madhya Pradesh, hosted a high-impact session titled ‘Corporate and Nutrition’ at the UNICEF Bhopal office.

The session brought together key stakeholders from the corporate and development sectors to explore how business entities in Bhopal can meaningfully contribute to improving nutrition outcomes across the state.

Anil Gulati, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Madhya Pradesh, expressed gratitude to Impact4Nutrition partners for deciding 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.

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.

Awasthy emphasized the importance of promoting balanced diets through initiatives like UNICEF’s #MeriThaliSehatWal (my food plate full of health) to counter the rising popularity of unhealthy food choices.

Suresh Tomar, Joint Director, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh, was also especially present on the occasion. He reiterated the department’s strong support for corporate and institutional partners working towards child nutrition and development.

Attending corporate partners and representatives of institutions 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 of 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.

Nandini Gupta, owner of Aviraa Planters, as well as Sushil Dongashanwar, Centre Manager at Lupin Human Welfare and Research Foundation expressed interest in enhancing food diversity and engagement at the grassroots level.

Surendra Thakur, State Sale Head at Surya Roshni, known for its education initiatives in tribal areas, proposed facilitating UNICEF-led nutrition visits in girls’ hostels and expanding outreach.

Bhawna Jain from Jagran Lakecity University offered creative support through student-designed IEC (Information, Education, Communication) materials in remote regions. Pradeep Karambelkar of Business Network International, Bhopal said he is committed to support two anganwadis in Bhopal.

Corporate representatives present at the meeting committed to support #MeriThaliSehatWali campaign and support State efforts on nutrition through Impact4Nutrition. The partners present also took up Red Dot Challenge to break stigma on menstrual hygiene and break stigma

The Impact4Nutrition platform continues to serve as a catalyst in mobilizing businesses, institutions, and individuals toward a common goal: Making good nutrition everyone’s business.