Dr Harsh Vardhan will launch a new mission called `Aahaar Kranti’

The mission is aimed to spread the message of the need for a nutritionally balanced diet and to understand the importance of accessible to all local fruits and vegetables.

Vijnana Bharati (Vibha) and Global Indian Scientists’ and Technocrats’ Forum (GIST) have come together to launch the mission with the motto of उत्तम आहार-उत्तम विचार (Uttam Aahaar Uttam Vichaar) or `Good Diet-Good Cognition’.

The `Aahaar Kranti’ movement is designed to address the peculiar problem being faced by India and the world called `hunger and diseases in abundance’. Studies estimate that India produces as much as two times the amount of calories that it consumes. However, many in the country are still malnourished. The root cause of this strange phenomenon is a lack of nutritional awareness in all sections of our society.

There is a need for a nutritionally balanced diet also in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. A healthy body would be able to handle the infection much better with greater immunity and higher resilience.

The United Nations has also declared 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, which vibes very well with Aahaar Kranti. Fruits and vegetables make a large part of a balanced diet. Further, UN sustainable goal # 3 that emphasizes on human well-being reads, “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” This goal too makes Aahaar Kranti more meaningful. Diet and well-being are inseparable partners.

India has the unique advantage of having the knowledge of Ayurveda. It is time to also apply this rich knowledge of Ayurveda-based nutrition to practice. The movement will work on this too.

The movement proposes to address the current situation of hunger in abundance by working to rouse the people to the values of India’s traditional diet, to the healing powers of local fruits and vegetables, and to the miracles of a balanced diet.  It will renew the focus on nutritionally balanced diets – उत्तम एवं संतुलित आहार (Uttam evam santulit aahaar) replete in locally sourced fruits and vegetables.

The programme will focus on training teachers, who, in turn, will pass on the message to the multitudes of students, and through them to their families and finally the society at large. Such a strategy was adopted for the eradication of Polio and it turned out to be a grand success.

Vijnana Bharati (Vibha) and Global Indian Scientists’ and Technocrats’ Forum have aimed to set Aahaar Kranti as a model for the entire world to follow. India has remained the world leader or Vishwaguru for ages, and in case of diet and nutrition, it has led to several path-breaking efforts in terms of science, technology, and innovations. The new movement will add to that.

The mission will work on multiple dimensions simultaneously. In terms of objectives, it will seek to promote better awareness, better nutrition and better agriculture; the messages will be imparted through the curriculum in the form of `what’s and `why’s of nutrition, or through the forms of games or as instructions such as `how to’; and the content will be provided both online and offline and in all vernacular languages besides English and Hindi to reach out to as many as possible.

While Vijnana Bharati (Vibha) and Global Indian Scientists’ and Technocrats’ Forum initiated the programme, several other agencies have also joined hands and have agreed to pool in their expertise and resources. Union Ministry of Science and Technology’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s Pravasi Bharatiya Academic and Scientific Sampark (Prabhaas) is collaborating, and various central and state government ministries and agencies are involved. More organisations are in the pipeline to join the Mission as it proceeds.

Broadcast Platforms: Live streaming of Aahaar Kranti Launch Event will be available on the following platforms:

§  India Science OTT Channel – www.indiascience.in

§  India Science YouTube channel

§  India Science Mobile App (Android, iOS, JioPhone)

We request you to kindly give wide publicity to the nation-wide programme through your esteemed media organisation. Your contribution will be valuable in fulfilling its motto of Uttam Aahaar Uttam Vichaar.

Official website of Aahaar Kranti: www.aahaarkranti.org