Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level : Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh

Mains level : Malnutrition elimination strategies in India

The Union Minister of Women and Child Development (WCD) has announced Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK).

Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh

• The Harvard Chan School of Public Health through its India Research Center and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will document and evaluate promising regional dietary practices.
• The BPKK will be a repository of diverse crops across 128 agro-climatic zones in India for better nutritional outcomes.
• In consultation with Ministry of WCD and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the project team will select around 12 high focus states which are representative of the geographical, social, economic, cultural and structural diversities of India.
• In each of the states or group of states the team will identify a local partner organization which has relevant work experience in Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) and nutrition for developing the food atlas.

Why such move?

• The, two other approaches are required to complement the Government’s efforts to promote healthy dietary practices.
• One, addressing the challenge of malnutrition at such a vast scale requires a basic understanding of the social, behavioural and cultural practices that promote and reinforce healthy dietary behaviours both at the individual and community level.
• Two, creating the first ever data base that links relevant agro-food system data at the district, with an aim to map the diversity of native crop varieties that will be more cost-effective and sustainable over the long run.