2^nd September 2023, Sriniketan, Visva-Bharati

ICAR- Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes, Kolkata, organised a activity at Rathindra KVK, Srinikatan today as part of National Nutrition Week to raise awareness among the public about their health and wellbeing.

Dr. Pradip Dey, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Kolkata emphasized upon the need of empowering women through awareness campaigns to combat malnutrition. He stressed popularization of millets as nutraceutical, Nutrition Gardens and harnessing traditional knowledge on nutrition management especially targeting the vulnerable group of children, pregnant and lactating women. He also elaborated on “one Health”concept.

Dr. S. Mandal, Head, Rathindra KVK highlighted the significant achievements of the KVK especially on the promotion of nutrition.

Dr. A.K. Barik, Principal, Palli Siksha Bhavana, Sriniketan, Visva-Bharati said that such campaigns are essential to raise awareness of the problem since children cannot be healthy if their mothers are not healthy.

Seed packets for kitchen garden including leafy vegetables, pulses and millets were also distributed to the farmers. Field visits and Scientist-farmer interaction programme were also organised and extension bulletins were distributed for the benefit of the farmers.

About 53 female farmers from six villages representing two women-led Farmer Producer Organisations hosted by KVK attended the programme, with more than 80% of them belonging to the SC/ST group.

(Source: ICAR- Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Kolkata)