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Himachal to Launch State Nutrition Policy for Vulnerable Groups, Says CM Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has announced the formulation of a State Nutrition Policy to provide balanced food for children, adolescent girls, and mothers. The plan includes upgrading the Kandaghat lab and establishing new regional testing laboratories in Baddi, Mandi, Kangra, and Shimla. The government will use mobile vans for testing and awareness while creating a digital portal and a state nutrition database for efficiency. The move aims to combat nutritional deficiencies and pesticide contamination in food, linking it to the promotion of natural farming.

Key Points: Himachal to Form State Nutrition Policy, Upgrade Labs

  • New State Nutrition Policy announced
  • Upgraded and new regional food testing labs
  • Mobile vans for testing and awareness
  • Digital portal and state nutrition database
2 min read

Himachal Pradesh to form 'State Nutrition Policy', says CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu

Himachal CM Sukhvinder Sukhu announces a State Nutrition Policy, new testing labs, and a nutrition database to ensure food safety for vulnerable groups.

"The government would formulate a State Nutrition Policy to ensure the availability of balanced and nutritious food for all vulnerable groups - CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu"

Shimla, January 14

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while chairing a review meeting of the Department of Health Safety and Regulation, stated that the government would formulate a State Nutrition Policy to ensure the availability of balanced and nutritious food for all vulnerable groups, including children, adolescent girls, and expectant and lactating mothers.

The Chief Minister said that the composite testing laboratory at Kandaghat would be upgraded with world-class, high-end technology to ensure precise analysis and greater efficiency. To ensure the quality and timely testing of food items, regional laboratories would be established in the first phase at Baddi, Mandi, Kangra and Shimla. In the second phase, similar laboratories would be set up in all districts of the state.

He further added that nutritional surveillance in the state would be strengthened. Food items would be tested, and their nutritional content would be profiled and mapped. The department has been directed to carry out regular testing of food provided under schemes such as the Public Distribution System (PDS), Anganwadi services and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.

He said that mobile vans would be used for testing, awareness generation, capacity building and training so that the department's outreach and effectiveness can be expanded across all districts.

To make departmental functioning more efficient and tChief Minister directed the use of modern information technology and the complete digitisation of all processes. He instructed the department to develop a state portal for the digital execution of all activities, including food sample collection and test results.

Additionally, a state nutrition database would also be created.

The Chief Minister expressed concern that deficiencies in nutritional content and the presence of pesticides in food were contributing to an increase in diseases. He said that the state government was seriously addressing both issues and was working on effective solutions. In this context, he added that the government was promoting natural farming and encouraging farmers by providing benefits under various schemes.

He said that the state government was continuously strengthening the health sector. World-class standards were being adopted in medical education, ICUs were being established in every medical college, and hospitals were ensuring a global-standard doctor-patient ratio.

Director of DDTG Nipun Jindal, Special Secretary (Health) Ashwani Sharma, Director of Health Safety and Regulation Jitendra Sanjta and other senior officers were present in the meeting.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good step, but execution is key. We've seen many policies announced with great fanfare that later get lost in bureaucracy. The digitisation portal is a good idea if it's user-friendly for common people to check food safety reports.
A
Ashwani Sharma
As someone from Himachal, I'm glad they are promoting natural farming alongside this. Pesticides in our apples and other produce have been a concern for years. A state nutrition database could be a game-changer for public health planning.
M
Meera T
Testing the food under PDS and Mid-Day Meals is absolutely vital. Many families depend on these schemes. Ensuring that the food is not just available but also nutritious will have a direct impact on child development and school performance. 👏
D
David E
Interesting to see a state-level policy like this. The integrated approach of labs, surveillance, and tech is commendable. Hope the "world-class standards" talk translates to real resources and training for the staff on the ground.
K
Kavya N
Finally, a focus on nutrition and not just food security! The part about profiling nutritional content is important. We need to know if the rice and wheat we get are actually giving us the necessary vitamins and minerals.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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