Gandhinagar, May 5: Gujarat has achieved the fourth position in the eighth edition of the ‘Nutrition Fortnight’ campaign. Running from April 9 to 23, the initiative saw Gujarat contribute over 10 percent of the total activities conducted nationwide.
According to reports, the state conducted a remarkable 7.314 million nutrition-related activities during the fortnight. This accounted for 10.77 percent of all reported activities across the country, placing Gujarat among the top-performing states in the implementation of the ‘National Nutrition Mission.’
The campaign was guided by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and overseen by Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Manisha Vakil. The Women and Child Development Department alone conducted 3.391 million activities, making up 46.36 percent of the state’s total efforts.
Additionally, more than 18 departments, including health, education, and panchayat, collaborated at various administrative levels to enhance outreach. The central theme of the 2026 edition of Nutrition Fortnight was maximizing brain development in the first six years of life.
This initiative is based on the understanding that approximately 85 percent of a child’s brain develops by the age of six. Therefore, it emphasized early childhood care with a focus on nutrition and cognitive development.
The campaign was structured around five key pillars, including improving nutrition for pregnant women, strengthening breastfeeding practices, and ensuring appropriate supplementary feeding for infants.
It also promoted early cognitive development through interaction, play, and emotional engagement between caregivers and children. Another significant area was preparing children for formal schooling through play-based education in anganwadis.
Moreover, the campaign addressed concerns about increased screen time among children, encouraging them to reduce screen usage and stay active daily.
The final component involved improving anganwadi infrastructure and services through community participation and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
At the grassroots level, all village panchayats organized nutrition panchayats, quizzes, poster competitions, and community awareness programs to disseminate information about nutrition and early childhood care.
Officials noted that the scale and coordination of these activities reflect the participation of multiple departments and community engagement in advancing the goals of the national nutrition program.
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Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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