Parivar ke Sang: CM Vasundhara Raje ‘champions’ for a healthy Rajasthan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for mothers-in-law for the protection of mother and child has a keen taker in Rajasthan government. It will now focus on the husband and the mother in law of a pregnant woman to ensure their nutrition and dietary needs to deliver a healthy baby. For that it has developed communication material in the form of short films, posters and a passbook calling upon them to ensure that expectant mother eats well. 

The National Nutrition Mission focuses on a healthy population of children by 2030, the means experts feel is to change the behaviour of the family and the biggest agents of change are the husband and the mother-in-law.

The communication campaign has been developed by IPE Global Ltd in association with Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) under RajPust project –an initiative to reduce low birth weight and underdevelopment through superior care of maternal and child nutrition.

The campaign has the tagline of ‘champion ri maa thodo aur kha’ and is delivered primarily through the husband and the mother-in-law to the expectant mother. 

As part of the soon to be launched material are five short films, a passbook with a message from the chief minister and importantly a poshan thaili (nutrition pouch). 

The chief minister Vasundhara Raje has given personal touch to the message by congratulating the expected parents and tell them that their child is a champion, irrespective of its gender.  

“The expectant mother rarely eats on her own and the need was to make her eat. We have reached out to husbands and mothers-in-law who can effect a behaviour change,” said Priyamvada Singh,  Policy and Outreach Adviser, IPE Global Ltd speaking to DNA.