BOKARO: National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) through its ‘NDDB Foundation for Nutrition’ (NFN) and Bokaro Power Supply Company (P) Ltd. recently launched the ‘Gift Milk’ programme in schools of Bokaro. Under the program Bokaro Power Supply Company Limited (BPSCL) will be the donor and JMF will be supplier.
Speaking about this initiative, K Harinarayana, Chief Executive Officer, BPSCL said, In spite of robust economic growth and being a major producer of food in the world, India is home to about 195 million undernourished persons, accounting for about 24% of the undernourished population in the world. As per the Hunger Index, Jharkhand ranks 16th , which means it is the among the top states where hunger and Malnutrition is prevalent., where more than 37 % of children are undernourished.
As per studies, Under-nutrition can be addressed through milk, since a diet that contains milk or dairy products provides 25 to 33 per cent of the protein requirement which may have a positive effect on weight gain and linear growth in children aged six months to five years who are suffering from moderate malnutrition.
To address the issue of Malnutrition, BPSCL contacted NFN to supply /distribute flavoured milk covering around 3500 Government school children to eradicate malnutrition. 200 ml pasteurized fortified flavoured milk will be given to each child each day on all working days during an entire academic session. BPSCL will be sponsoring the cost of the entire project and hope to continue this scheme in further years. We hope that BPSCL can make a small difference in a childs’ life and be a small part in the nutrition needed by them.
BPSCL has been committed in its responsibility towards the Society and has been giving back in all the ways possible. We have been running a Mobile medical Unit with Piramal swasthya, since the last 2 years and have attended to almost 37000 patients till date. Various medical camps are being organised at various villages, to cater to the specific needs of the villagers. We have also recently sponsored the Solar Street Light project (30 KWp) at Chandankiari, Bokaro. We have donated water ATMs at hospitals, planted trees, sponsored students at Asha Lata Viklang centre, distributed artificial limbs to the physically impaired, sponsored tournaments for the visually impaired, etc. Our special focus has always been children, because we believe, that children today , future tomorrow. We have sponsored painting in schools, and as part of clean India mission , are constructing Toilets in another school . We hope to extend this to a few more schools, so that more and more children can have access to clean toilets.
For all the children present here, we at BPSCL present this ‘Giftmilk’ and hope to be a small part of your lives every day.
Speaking about the initiative, Shri Sangram Chaudhary, Board of Governor, NDDB Foundation for Nutrition, said, “With its 2.5 trillion dollar growing economy and about 130 crore population, India is being recognized as an emerging global power. We have the youngest population in the world and their capabilities and dynamism can be leveraged to step up the pace of this growth for bringing prosperity to all Indians. However, before this can happen, we need to ensure that every child is well nourished, educated and enabled to become productive.”
Today, malnutrition among the children is the major cause for morbidity and mortality in our country. As per the National Health Survey, 2015-16, about 36% of our children are undernourished. Malnutrition can be addressed through milk as it is a wholesome food. Milk is a balanced source of macro and micro-nutrients. The nutrient profile of milk is an excellent source of calcium and protein as well as a good source of vitamins and other minerals. Regular consumption of milk by children improves their health and cognitive parameters as well reduces nutritional deficiencies.
Keeping the objective of improving the nutritional indices of school children in mind, NDDB during its Golden Jubilee year initiated a noble initiative called NDDB Foundation for Nutrition (NFN). Its mission is to provide glass of milk for every child to address malnutrition among children studying in government schools. To begin with (NFN) launched a “Giftmilk” programme to deliver 200 ml flavoured and fortified milk beverage free of cost to school children (preferably in government /municipal schools), with the help of donations. NFN strives to mobilise donations from various institutions under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment to supply milk to the school children through the network of dairy cooperatives.
NFN has been registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and as a Trust under the Bombay Public Charitable Trust as applicable to the state of Gujarat on 9 October 2015.It has been granted approval for u/s 80G(5) of IT Act 1961 which provides 50% tax deduction for the individual donors. Apart donations received by NFN will be exempted under CSR.
NFN launched “Giftmilk” programme on 26th February 2016 in Z P High School, Lakshmapur, Telangana State with the support of Indian Immunological Limited, Hyderabad under their CSR funds.
Currently, NFN is supplying ‘GIftmilk’ to about 31,000 students in 7 schools of Delhi, 11 schools of Gujarat, 39 schools of Jharkhand, 3 schools of Noida (UP), 1 School of Tamil Nadu and 1 School in Telangana under the Corporate Social Responsibility of subsidiaries of NDDB and Rural Electrification Corporation Limited.
Apart, NFN also had an agreement with Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, Ahmedabad to launch the program in their respective areas of operation soon.
So far NFN has distributed about 16 lakh units of milk among Government school children. By 2020, NFN vision is to create 10 million Child Milk Days.
Dairy Development is a proven tool for economic prosperity in rural areas and with this aim NDDB is managing JMF. JMF is procuring around 1 Lakh Kg per day from 17,000 milk producers providing them a means of livelihood and marketing 75 thousand liter per day. All the milk and milk products currently being marketed by JMF are under ‘Mother Dairy-Medha’ brand.
Today, NFN will be adding four more Schools of Bokaro under its ‘Giftmilk’ programme covering about 3500 students. Bokaro Power Supply Corporation, Bokaro will be the donor for the programme and JMF – Medha will be the supplier. 200 ml flavoured milk will be distributed among the students on all working days.
To meet its vision of reaching out to as many children as possible, NFN has geared up to spread its operations in different states. NFN has started approaching Public Sector Undertaking for funding the programme under their CSR activities.
