NEW DELHI, Jan 6: Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday called upon corporates to direct their CSR spending towards combating malnutrition, describing it as crucial for India’s future and their own business interests.
Speaking at the National CSR Conclave on “Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Nutrition Security and Malnutrition Mitigation”, organised by the NDDB Foundation, Goyal said a malnutrition-free India is essential for achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047.
“A holistic approach is required to make the country free from malnutrition. Malnutrition can be prevented during pregnancy and the child growth stage itself,” he said, highlighting the scope of CSR work in this area.
The minister emphasised that CSR activities focused on preventing malnutrition would yield better returns on investment.
“It is not charity, you are investing in future profits of your company. If you link your activities with malnutrition, you are doing good for yourself. Corporates are helping themselves, creating new markets, new labour, new employees, and new consumers of the future,” he said.
Goyal urged companies to view the 2 per cent CSR spending mandate not as a binding obligation but as an opportunity.
He also called on corporates to extend their activities beyond cities to remote areas.
Two CSR initiatives were launched at the event — the Giftmilk Programme of SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant and the Shishu Sanjeevani Programme of IDBI Bank.
Under the Giftmilk Programme, about 4,000 children studying in government schools in mining areas of Bhilai Steel Plant, Chhattisgarh, will receive flavoured milk fortified with Vitamins A and D, supplied through the Chhattisgarh Milk Federation managed by NDDB.
The Shishu Sanjeevani Programme provides nutritional support to around 3,000 children at anganwadi centres in rural areas of Nagpur district, Maharashtra. The programme involves an energy-dense, semi-solid, ready-to-eat fortified nutritional supplement developed by NDDB and manufactured by the Bhandara Milk Union.
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh lauded the initiatives, saying balanced nutrition during childhood and pregnancy is the only solution to tackle malnutrition.
He noted that milk and dairy products can ensure 25-35 per cent protein intake, crucial for overall child development.
India is the world’s leading milk producer with per capita consumption at around 450 grams. “If we can ensure dairy products to children, their health will be fit. These children are tomorrow’s future,” Singh said.
He stressed the need for government, corporates, NGOs, and cooperative societies to work together holistically to fulfil the Prime Minister’s vision of a malnutrition-free India.
Union Ministers Annapurna Devi, Krishan Pal Gurjar, S P Singh Baghel, and George Kurian were present at the event, along with senior officials, including Cooperation Secretary Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary Naresh Pal Gangwar, Women and Child Development Secretary Anil Malik, and NDDB Chairman Meenesh Shah. (PTI)
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