Skoch award for Assam Mission on Malnutrition
Why in news:
- A mission to combat malnourishment among children aged six months to five years has earned the SKOCH Award for southern Assam’s Cachar district.
- Instituted in 2003, SKOCH Award recognises people, projects and institutions that go the extra mile to make India a better nation.
About the programme:
- The award-winning programme entailed a coordinated socio-economic approach for malnourished children of families below the poverty line.
- Government agencies, local civic bodies, NGOs and businessmen had come together to provide nutritional support to such children.
- District’s Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli said the project named Mission Parvarish saw 704 out of a targeted 800 children recover from the severely acute malnourished stage.
- All the severely acute, malnourished children from two to five years were also adopted by the community, the lone MP and MLAs of the Assembly constituencies in the district.
- The programme was launched during the “nutrition month” in 2020.
- The award should inspire other districts to emulate the efforts of the Cachar administration in the fight against malnutrition.
About SKOCH award :
- Instituted in 2003, SKOCH Award salutes people, projects and institutions that go the extra mile to make India a better nation.
- SKOCH Award winners include the mighty and the ordinary alike.
- They receive this Award for their extraordinary achievements in contributing to the society.
- The Roll of Honour of the SKOCH Award over the years is a testimony to this.
- The SKOCH Award covers the best of efforts in digital, financial and social inclusion.
- It encompasses the best of governance, inclusive growth, excellence in technology and applications, change management, corporate leadership, corporate governance, citizen services delivery, capacity building, empowerment and other such softer issues that get normally lost in the glamour and the glitz of industry sponsored or advertising focused jamborees.
- SKOCH Award not only acknowledges exceptional achievers—organisations and individuals—but also spurs inspirational guidance and motivational leadership.
Challenge of malnutrition and its status in india:
- Undernutrition leads to increased mortality and morbidity which lead to loss of economic output and increased spending on health.
- Poor nutrition means that individuals are less productive (both due to physical and mental impairment), and that children benefit less from education.
- The World Bank estimates that India is one of the highest-ranking countries in the world for the number of children suffering from malnutrition.
- Over 33 lakh children in India are malnourishedand more than half of them fall in the severely malnourished category with Maharashtra, Bihar and Gujarat topping the list, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has said in response to an RTI query.
What is the Government doing about malnutrition?
Government implements Anganwadi Services, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and Scheme for Adolescent Girls under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) as targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country.
About Assam :
- Capital – dispur
- Chief minister – Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma
- Governor- Jagdish Mukhi
- Formation day – 15 August 1947
Festivals –
- Bihu Festival
- Me-Dum-Me-Phi
- Majuli Festival
- Dehing Patkai Festival
- Kaziranga Elephant Festival
National parks –
- .Kaziranga National Park, Assam
- Manas National Park, Assam
- Dibru Saikhowa National Park, Assam
- Nameri National Park, Assam
- Orang National Park, Assam