Media must focus on health issues and build discourse on nutrition, say speakers at media meet

Correspondent

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: Media must focus on issues related to health and should build a discourse on nutrition.

This was the call given to journalists at the media meet organised in Bhopal on the theme of Right to Nutrition and Health under activities being undertaken to mark thirty years of signing The Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Speaking at the event Imarti Devi, Minister Women and Child Development Government of Madhya Pradesh said that her Department is taking steps to tackle malnutrition and providing care for severely acute malnourished children. She said that department is looking at mobile nutritional rehabilitation centre, for working women in Madhya Pradesh.

Principal Secretary Women and Child Development Anupam Rajan spoke on the food diversity and how we need to focus on counselling of parents. He also spoke on the need to focus on first thousand days of life of the child. UNICEF and Bansal News jointly organised the event.

Michael Juma, Chief UNICEF, Madhya Pradesh said that nutrition and health are critical pillars for survival and growth of child and on the need to focus on first thousand days in the life of the child. Nutrition deprivation in this period has irreversible effect on the growth and development of the child through out life. He urged media to focus on child rights and theme CRC30.

Minister Labour Mahendra Singh Sisodiya said that State is focusing on malnutrition and is committed to work for it. He said his department will like to support the interventions so that they can also impact on migrant labour. Dr Manish Singh, Deputy Director Child Health, spoke on the initiatives of State on child health.

Dr Sameer Pawar, Nutrition Specialist UNICEF, Dr Vandana Bhatia Health Specialist UNICEF, Pushpa Awasthy Nutrition Officer UNICEF spoke on the theme and made presentation on nutrition and health. Several other prominent speaks too spoke at length on the issue during the media meet.

Anil Gulati, Communication Specialist, UNICEF said, "We are commemorating 30 years of The Convention on the Rights of the Child and it is time to focus and talk more about child rights". Sharad Dwivedi, Group Editor, Bansal News said that we are committed to focus on the issue of nutrition, health and children issues. He said that it is our endeavour that we help spread child rights and build visibility around themes as our contribution to children of the State.