In a mission to fight nutrition deficiency, Poshan Cards comes handy in Maharashtra. POSHAN card programme to reach 1.5 million women and their families in three districts through 15000 Anganwadi workers.

Mumbai – June 2016 – Due to the sheer size of its growing population and associated development challenges, India faces a unique problem in tackling malnutrition. Providing the right nutrients to pregnant women and their infants is of vital importance. It is now known that the right quality of nutrition during a critical 1,000 day window of opportunity from conception until a child reaches two years of age is fundamental to social and economic development for individuals, communities and the country as a whole and to breaking the cycle of economic poverty. To address this issue of this scale, DSM, a global science based company active in Health, Nutrition and Materials announced the launch of POSHAN cards to support Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of Maharashtra’s mission to combat malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies among mothers and children. With this launch DSM becomes the first direct reach partner to support offline distribution of POSHAN cards in districts of Pune, Thane and Palghar in Maharashtra. The other key partners in this programme are Indian Academy of Pediatrics Healthphone and Vodafone.

POSHAN Cards are mobile compatible memory cards containing a set of videos which give simple, direct and actionable information on nutrition. These cards will enable 15000 Anganwadi Workers to spread awareness on the impact of nutrition deficiency particularly among pregnant women, mothers and infants. The POSHAN Card program is expected to reach 1.5 million women and their families in three districts of Maharashtra. Maharashtra has been the first state in the country to tackle malnutrition on a ‘Mission mode” and has received national and international acclaim for achieving landmark reductions in child stunting with its persistent efforts.

Chris Goppelsroeder, CEO and Managing Director DSM Nutritional Products said “At DSM we firmly believe that investing in people’s nutrition is a humanitarian imperative, and we are doing so in India as well as many other countries. I am confident that DSM and our science-based solutions can help tackle malnutrition in India using our knowledge and expertise in collaboration with central government, state government and other partners.”

Dr. P. Jog, President, Indian Academy of Pediatrics said, “Today, almost 33% of the world’s malnourished children live in India. Mass education about the seriousness of this problem, its pitfalls and easy solutions, is critical, particularly among women of child bearing age, mothers and their immediate families. Working integrally with MWCD and DWCD, Maharashtra, we aim to support the AWWs to better educate the caregivers, and in time change their behavior to address this issue comprehensively.”

DSM in India is headquartered at Gurgaon, Haryana and currently employs more than 900 employees across nine locations (including JVs). The company operates in the areas of Nutrition (DSM Nutritional Products & DSM Food Specialties); Materials (DSM Engineering Plastics, DSM Dyneema, DSM Resins & Functional Materials); Pharmaceuticals (DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals JV); and a Global Delivery Center based in Hyderabad, to manage back-office finance and accounting activities globally. DSM’s strategy in India is to identify and build new business opportunities in health, nutrition and materials. Its products find application in many areas that address India’s needs, in the areas of healthcare/nutrition, renewable energy and infrastructure.

DSM – Bright Science. Brighter Living.™

Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. By connecting its unique competences in life sciences and materials sciences DSM is driving economic prosperity, environmental progress and social advances to create sustainable value for all stakeholders simultaneously. DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials. DSM and its associated companies deliver annual net sales of about €10 billion with approximately 25,000 employees. The company is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information can be at http://www.dsm.com/.

The IAP HealthPhone Program is a national initiative under the aegis of Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) in partnership with Government of India. Other partners include United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and HealthPhone. This Program is supported by Vodafone and DSM. On the launch of the Program in June 2015, the Hon’ble Minister Mrs Maneka Gandhi, Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) observed that “This unique and innovative initiative will add to the Ministry’s efforts on tackling malnutrition.”