New Delhi, Aug 23 (UNI) Nine states and three Union Territories were given 23 excellence awards by Union Minister for Women & Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani, at the 'POSHAN Abhiyaan Award Ceremony' for 2018-19 held here on Friday.
During the award ceremony, nine States - Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand and three Union Territories - Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli were given 23 excellence awards consisting of a certificate and cash prize of Rs 1 crore to first position and Rs 50 lakh to the second position for ICDS-CAS implementation and capacity building, convergence, behaviour change and community mobilisation.
Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) recognized significant contributions of State Governments, District teams, Block level teams and Field Functionaries at the POSHAN Abhiyaan Award Ceremony for 2018-19.
The commitment of Associated Ministries and Development Partners were also appreciated during the programme and they were also felicitated with a certificate.
The POSHAN Abhiyaan Awards Ceremony was graced by Ms Irani, Minister of State, Debasree Chaudhuri, Secretary, WCD, Rabindra Panwar, Additional Secretary, Ajay Tirkey, and Joint Secretary, Sajjan Singh Yadav.
For overall excellence, the award amount was Rs 1.5 crore to first position holders and Rs 75 lakh to second position holders. At the District Level, 53 officers of 19 districts of different States/UTs were given awards comprising of a certificate and a medal. At the Block Level, 50 officers of 24 Blocks of different States/UTs were also given awards comprising of a certificate and a medal.
Moreover, for exemplary services, 237 field functionaries comprising of Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers, Lady Supervisors, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse and Midwives (ANM) were given a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each, a certificate and a medal. Total 363 POSHAN Abhiyaan Awards were given away with total cash prize of Rs 22 crore. Twenty-two certificates of appreciation were also given to the line Ministries and Development Partners.
Ajay Tirkey, Additional Secretary read out the message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Prime Minister in his message highlighted that 'Health and Nutrition are priority areas of our Government. Health remains one of the key areas in our quest of building an inclusive and new India. An Integral part of our vision is achieving ‘KuposhanMukt Bharat’ by 2022. POSHAN has been implemented to combat malnutrition and enhance the nutritional status of targeted beneficiaries. Digital technology, convergence and targeted approach are being optimally utilized to reduce malnutrition. This one of a kind initiative is an endeavour to fight malnutrition through multimodal intervention to prevent further diseases. We remain firmly committed to provide affordable and quality healthcare to the poor, needy and disadvantaged sections of the society. The emphasis on health and nutrition will surely make a lasting contribution in furthering healthcare to every nook and corner of the country. However, such schemes can succeed only through large scale community participation. The initiative to present incentive awards for POSHAN is an acknowledgement and appreciation of the untiring efforts of the workforce at the grassroots level such as Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, Auxiliary Nurses, Midwives, lady supervisors and ASHA workers.'
The Prime Minister congratulated and conveyed his best wishes to all the winners of the POSHAN Abhiyaan Award.

At the felicitation ceremony, Ms Irani launched #ThankyouAnganwadiDidi- a Short Film which recognises the contribution of Anganwadi workers towards the development of a healthy child.
The Minister also urged everyone to join this Campaign. She emphasized that, as a Nation, we are grateful to Anganwadi Didi for looking after our children and laying a strong foundation for their better tomorrow.

The WCD Minister stated the five pillars of POSHAN Abhiyaan i.e.'importance of First 1000 days, detection and right treatment of Anemia&Diarrohea, Personal Hygiene, Sanitation and PaushtikAahaar'.
The vision of Suposhit Bharat can only be realised when we join our hands and work effortlessly. The Ministry of Women and Child Development urged everyone to make the upcoming Rashtriya Poshan Maah a great success.

Minister of State, Debasree Chaudhuri, shared that malnutrition is inter-generational cycle. Synergised efforts are required from all concerned Departments for achieving the targets under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
She has stated that Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers, Lady Supervisors, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse and Midwives (ANM) are the most important field functionaries for effective delivery of services under POSHAN Abhiyaan.

Secretary WCD, Rabindra Panwar, highlighted that 2018 has been a landmark year during which the Government of India catapulted nutrition to the centre-stage of the National Development Agenda.
UNI PY SHK1927