SPNIWCD Regional Centre Mohali Organises Poshan Maah Rally to Promote Nutrition, Healthy Practices and Community Ownership
Mohali,
Dr. K. Sunita Seshadri, Regional Director, SPNIWCD Regional Centre Mohali welcomed the chief guest Dr. Madanjeet Kaur Sahota and while addressing the gathering Dr. Seshadri emphasized that the 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026, observed during September, is being undertaken under the overarching theme “Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Jimmedari”, placing Anganwadi Centres at the heart of community-led action for nutrition, care and early childhood development. The campaign emphasises collective ownership and accountability for nutrition, with particular focus on dietary diversity and adequate protein intake, fresh and nutritious Hot Cooked Meals, community ownership of Anganwadi Centres, nutrition and early stimulation for childhood development, and maternal nutrition under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY).
The rally was flagged of by Chief Guest Dr. Madanjeet Kaur Sahota Executive member of Child Welfare Committee.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sahota, appreciated the initiative and emphasised the importance of collective efforts in promoting nutrition awareness and healthy practices. The participation of students and institutional stakeholders reflected the spirit of “Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Jimmedari” and reinforced the message that nutrition is not solely the responsibility of government programmes but a shared responsibility of every family, institution and community member. Her presence and interaction with the participants provided encouragement to the students and staff and strengthened the message of collective responsibility towards nutrition and well-being. The rally witnessed enthusiastic participation of students of the Advanced Diploma in Child Guidance and Counselling (ADCGC), faculty and staff of SPNIWCD Regional Centre Mohali, along with other participants.
Through placards, slogans and community interaction, the participants disseminated important messages on balanced and diverse diets, adequate protein, use of locally available nutritious foods, healthy eating habits, maternal and child nutrition, hygiene, prevention of malnutrition and the importance of nutrition during early childhood. The rally highlighted that dietary diversity, including cereals and millets, pulses, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, milk and milk products and other appropriate protein sources, is essential for healthy growth and development.
The rally also highlighted the close relationship between nutrition and early childhood development. Adequate nutrition and responsive caregiving during the first 1,000 days are critical for brain development, while appropriate nutrition and early stimulation contribute to cognitive, motor and socio-emotional development. The Poshan Maah campaign accordingly promotes awareness regarding nutrition as an important foundation for learning, development and overall well-being.
The event further reinforced the Jan Andolan approach of POSHAN Abhiyaan, under which improvement in nutrition is envisioned as a people’s movement requiring active participation of families, communities and institutions. The attached reference document emphasises that sustained behavioural change in areas such as infant feeding, dietary diversity, antenatal care and hygiene requires community ownership and ground-level participation.
The rally will provide an effective platform for community mobilisation and dissemination of simple, positive and evidence based nutrition with practical, field based exposure to health education, communication and health messages and will also contribute to the Nutrition and Health Education component of Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) attending trainings at the Institute. The proposed rally will also serve as a practical extension of the Nutrition and Health Education component of the Job Training Course programme, providing an opportunity for participants to translate classroom based learning into community level awareness and health education activities which is also part of Community based events of Mission Saksham & Poshan 2.0.
The rally also served as an important experiential learning and community engagement activity for ADCGC students, enabling them to apply their learning in nutrition and health education, communication and community mobilisation. Their participation demonstrated the role that trained professionals and young learners can play in creating awareness and promoting positive health and nutrition behaviours within communities.
The initiative reaffirmed the commitment of SPNIWCD Regional Centre Mohali towards strengthening nutrition literacy, preventive health education, community participation and capacity building through training and field based learning.
The Poshan Maah Rally contributed to the larger vision of Mission Poshan 2.0 and POSHAN Abhiyaan by taking the message of nutrition and healthy living from the institutional setting to the community and encouraging collective action towards a healthier and well-nourished society.
Dr. K. Sunita Seshadri, Regional Director, SPNIWCD Regional Centre Mohali, said “SPNIWCD Regional Centre Mohali is observing the 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026 through community-focused activities to promote nutrition, healthy dietary practices and collective responsibility. Today’s Poshan Maah Rally, flagged off by our Chief Guest, Dr. Madanjeet Kaur Sahota, brought together ADCGC students, faculty, staff and stakeholders to take important messages on balanced diets, dietary diversity, adequate protein, maternal and child nutrition, hygiene and early childhood development to the community.”
Furthermore, he said “The theme ‘Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Jimmedari’ reminds us that nutrition is not only the responsibility of government programmes—it is a shared responsibility of families, institutions and communities. Through such rallies and field-based learning activities, we aim to strengthen nutrition literacy, encourage positive health behaviours and take the message of Poshan from the classroom and institution to the community.”
