PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directives, the State government has geared up to implement the Fit India campaign in Uttarakhand. Stating this, the State Health department officials said that the initial focus is on educational institutions to promote health awareness among students in line with the Eat Right India campaign.
Prior to the implementation, the Health department communicated with five departments, including school education, emphasising the need to spread awareness about balanced diets among students. Further, the Health secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar reached out to the secretaries of Social Welfare, Skill Development and Employment, Sanskrit Education and Technical Education departments to clear decks for its smooth implementation.
The officials said that the Eat Right Thali concept would be promoted through using display boards and tin plates in educational institutions.
Informing more on this initiative, the State nodal officer of the Eat Right India campaign Ganesh Chandra Kandwal said that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had drawn up food safety standards for school children in 2020, highlighting what constitutes a balanced diet for the Eat Right Thali. Under the Fit India campaign, the School Education department is preparing a proposal for setting up six Eat Right Kitchens which will be submitted to the Central government soon, he added.
Speaking on this scheme, the additional director of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, Kuldeep Gairola said that these kitchens would serve modern food arrangements. “Awareness about the Fit India and Eat Right campaigns will be shared through various methods, including training programmes,” he added.
Notably, while reiterating Uttarakhand’s commitment to implementing the PM-envisaged scheme, the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had urged everyone to focus on balanced diets to ensure a healthier India and Uttarakhand.
