By Ghanshyam Kesharwani, Deputy Director
Chhattisgarh doesn’t lack generous individuals, and the tradition of giving and sharing has been ingrained in our society since ancient times. ‘Chherchhera’ is one such tradition through which harvest of new crop is celebrated by donating and sharing food grains, money etc. This reflects the altruism in our society, as even our scriptures recognize donation of food grains as the supreme form of charity.
Chhattisgarh government is leveraging this societal tradition to combat malnutrition among children. Embracing the community’s participation in Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Yojana, Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai commenced this unique initiative of ‘Nyota Bhojan’ by serving nutritious meals to school children on his birthday.
In addition to the regular meals provided to school children in Chhattisgarh, school children will be offered nutritious and appetizing food items through ‘Nyota Bhojan’. This initiative will be executed with the help of affluent individuals of the society. ‘Nyota Bhojan’ can take three forms: Full Meal (for all the classes of the school), Partial Full Meal (for specific classes in the school), and Additional Supplementary Nutrition.
Contributors should donate food items as per the food habits of the region. In case of ‘full meal’, children should be served a wholesome meal including lentils, vegetables, and rice. Supplementary nutrition can include fruits, milk, sweets, biscuits, halwa, chikki, and sprouted food items based on children’s preferences.
The goal of ‘Nyota Bhojan’ is to foster a sense of belonging within the community, enhance nutritional value in meals, and promote equality among all sections of society, especially school children. Besides the competent individuals of the society, any social organization or students engaged in academic activities in schools can contribute to either full meals or additional supplementary nutritional food distribution. This will not replace the meals provided in schools but complement them.
Capable individuals from the community can also provide nutritious snacks to school children on special occasions such as anniversaries, birthdays, national celebrations, etc. Donors can distribute seasonal fruits, milk, sweets, biscuits, halwa, sprouted food items, etc., based on the children’s preferences for ‘Nyota Bhojan.’
School Development Committee is responsible for implementation of this initiative. The committee identifies the contributors and organizes rotation to ensure ‘Nyota Bhojan’ is conducted at least once a month in schools. Contributors will be encouraged through prayer assemblies or annual events, where they will be honored for their philanthropic efforts.
