Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): To mark the occasion of World Nutrition Day (28th May), the Impact4Nutrition (I4N) Madhya Pradesh Secretariat, in collaboration with UNICEF, hosted a session on Corporates and Nutrition at the UNICEF Bhopal office.
The session brought together key stakeholders from the corporate and development sectors to explore how businesses in Bhopal can meaningfully contribute to improving nutrition outcomes across the state.
Anil Gulati, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Madhya Pradesh, urged the private sector to play a proactive role in advancing nutrition for women and children. “Corporate engagement is vital in creating equal opportunities for every child to grow, thrive, and reach their full potential,” he said.
Pushpa Awasthy, Nutrition Specialist at UNICEF Madhya Pradesh, highlighted the current nutritional status of women and children in the state. She discussed the essential components of a balanced diet and how nutrients like iron and calcium interact in the body. She emphasized the importance of promoting balanced diets through initiatives like UNICEF’s #MeriThaliSehatWali, to counter the rising popularity of unhealthy food choices.
Joint Director, Department of Women and Child Development, Suresh Tomar addresses the event at UNICEF Bhopal office. |
The event was also graced by Suresh Tomar, Joint Director, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh. He reiterated the department’s strong support for corporate and institutional partners working towards child nutrition and development.
Corporate partners and institutions shared their ideas and proposed action points to strengthen their support for the Impact4Nutrition mission.
Manish Rajoria, Chairman of Career Society, proposed organizing anaemia awareness sessions and producing animated nutrition content in Hindi for early learners. Sonal Shrivastava, President and HR Head at Netlink, and Shradha Suhane from Young Indians offered to support the printing and distribution of nutrition materials for anganwadis, with Netlink also expressing willingness to adopt anganwadi centres and provide food support, subject to government approval. Ritu Sharma, owner of Sanidhya NGO, requested a simplified 7-day general meal plan to guide donors and enhance community-level awareness.
Tapas Garg, CSR Head at Kalakunj, shared experiences from adopting 10 anganwadis in Daulatpur and suggested innovative recipe ideas to keep children engaged with their meals. Punit Nagpal from the Rotary Club of Lakes, Bhopal, committed to installing water purifiers in anganwadi centres, including in Narmadapuram district. Nandini Gupta, owner of Aviraa Planters, as well as Sushil Dongashanwar, Centre Manager at Lupin Human Welfare and Research Foundation, expressed interest in enhancing food diversity and engagement at the grassroots level.
Surendra Thakur, State Sales Head at Surya Roshni, known for its education initiatives in tribal areas, proposed facilitating UNICEF-led nutrition visits in girls’ hostels and expanding outreach. Bhawna Jain from Jagran Lakecity University offered creative support through student-designed IEC (Information, Education, Communication) materials in remote regions. Pradeep Karambelkar of Business Network International, Bhopal, said he is committed to supporting two anganwadis in Bhopal.
Corporates committed to supporting the #MeriThaliSehatWali campaign and to contributing to state efforts on nutrition through Impact4Nutrition. The partners also took up the Red Dot Challenge to break the stigma surrounding menstrual hygiene.
