Nutrition, though a critically important subject that concerns each one of us, does not find much salience in our daily discourse, particularly in the media. With India home to one third of the world’s malnourished children, and anaemia affecting over half of women in the reproductive age that has a bearing on the health of her unborn child, it is imperative that the subject of nutrition be given its due importance.
With the aim of giving the Government of India’s ambitious Poshan Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission the much-needed media limelight and bringing to readers stories about nutrition and the work being done by government agencies, NGOs and other institutions in an easy, reader-friendly format, the Outlook Group launched its website PoshanSpeakOut in March. The stories, both in-house and with contributions from experts, have been slowly building up a readership, and getting noticed, not just in India but globally too.
Project Concern International/India, that works closely in the field of nutrition, has joined hands with the Outlook Group as Knowledge Partner to bring more such relevant stories about nutrition to readers.
Voicing happiness at the collaboration, Basanta Kumar Kar, Country Director-PCI/India, and a Transform Nutrition Champion, said: “This partnership will truly add value in changing the nutrition narrative and taking the message to the masses in a simple and easy-to-comprehend language. It will also support pro-poor public policies with improved nutrition governance and help in increasing access to supplies and services. I am happy to see how such an out-of-box idea of Poshan SpeakOut, through its informal reader-friendly stories, is becoming a pioneering platform in the public space”.
Indranil Roy, Chief Executive Officer, Outlook Group, said: “As a Knowledge Partner, PCI has tremendously supported us in shaping this initiative and showed us the way to use the power of media to give recognition and draw attention towards this very pertinent national cause. I believe in the power of good nutrition as it has the potential to unleash India’s human capital potential giving the much-needed fillip to growth and productivity.”
Outlook Editor, Ruben Banerjee, said: “I have full confidence in PCI’s knowledge leadership and their vision to transform India’s nutrition landscape. I believe, with our synergistic efforts we can bring lasting positive changes in the lives of people of the country”.
PCI’s Jerome Sigamani, Senior Director, Field Operations, remarked: “This is a path-breaking approach by Outlook, in helping transform the lives of the one-third malnourished children living in India. This partnership model between Outlook and PCI can show the way to the world in replicating similar efforts through other media groups, and help take the country forward in its path of growth and development.”
