“Now Our Goal Is Suposhit UP”: Yogi Adityanath Hails State’s Success Against Encephalitis, Says Nutrition Next Target

Hailing the success made by the state against Japanese encephalitis, Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath today said that the next goal of his government was ‘Suposhit UP’, that is, well-nourished UP.

In March, while speaking at the Mukhyamantri Arogya Mela in Lucknow, Yogi said that the encephalitis deaths in the state had come down by 90 per cent since his government was voted into power in 2016.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also congratulated the Yogi government for controlling the disease.

“Uttar Pradesh has set an example by controlling the encephalitis that had been causing deaths of innocent children for decades. Now, our goal is to build ‘Suposhit UP’. Let’s come together and contribute towards a capable and healthy Uttar Pradesh,” he said on Twitter.

India’s situation on nutritional terms is precarious. According to the Global Nutrition Report, around 38 per cent children under five years of age are stunted, 33 per cent are underweight and 21 per cent are wasted. This is well above the average for Asian countries.

More than half of Indian women of reproductive age are anaemic.

Around 10 per cent of Indian adult population is diabetic. Five per cent women and three per cent men are overweight.

The government of India has been implementing POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission since December, 2017 to address the problem of malnutrition in the country.

By 2020-21, the mission aims to reduce stunting, undernutrition in children, and low birth weight by 6 per cent. It also aims to reduce anaemia in young children as well as adolescent girls and women by 9 per cent.

Also read: UP’s Battle Against Encephalitis: Two Years On, Data And Ground Check Reveal An Encouraging Story