Tannuka Juneja
In line with the Centre’s National Nutrition Mission, PepsiCo Foundation, in partnership with Smile Foundation and Sangrur District Administration, has launched a model Anganwadi centre at Channo in Sangrur, Punjab. The centre was inaugurated by Jitendra Jorwal IAS, Deputy Commissioner of Sangrur.
Strengthening the physical infrastructure of Anganwadi centres in partnership with Smile Foundation is part of the PepsiCo Foundation’s ongoing nutrition improvement programme. The objective of the programme is to improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and children aged 0-6 years in the district.
Jitendra Jorwal, IAS, Deputy Commissioner, Sangrur said, “Nutrition plays a critical role in the growth and development of women and children. Maternal nutrition impacts a woman’s health during pregnancy in turn influencing the health of her newborn. Studies have shown that the child’s health in their first 1,000 days of life is critical as it influences the outcomes during childhood and later in adulthood. Hence, it becomes imperative to ensure a healthy pregnancy and healthy women and children.
Gagandeep Singh, District Program Officer, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Varjeet Walia, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Sangrur, Kareem Mohamed, Lead for MENA and South Asia, PepsiCo Foundation, Juhi Gupta, Sustainability Head, PepsiCo India, Yogesh Tyagi, Plant Head, Channo Foods Plant, PepsiCo India and Vikram Singh Verma, Executive Director, Smile Foundation were also present at the event.
The CSR programme focuses on community awareness and knowledge, physical infrastructure strengthening and government system initiatives. The programme engages directly with beneficiaries and involves various stakeholders through capacity building of users and service providers.
