Bhubaneswar: The ICMR–Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar, has launched a five-day national hands-on workshop on nutritional assessment, dietary profiling, and anthropometry among Indian children, adolescents, and adults. Supported by the Department of Health Research (DHR), the programme was inaugurated on Monday at the institute’s auditorium.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Anu Garg, Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary, Planning & Convergence Department, highlighted the importance of the first two years of a child’s life, when major brain development takes place. She called for stronger implementation of nutrition programmes that tackle inequity, improve adolescent health, reduce anaemia by 90%, ensure universal access to good nutrition for vulnerable communities, and strengthen breastfeeding practices. She emphasized behaviour change communication (BCC) as a driver of effective interventions and urged greater public awareness and governance focus for building a Viksit Bharat 2047.
Shubha Sarma, Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, described ICMR-RMRC as a vital partner for the Odisha government in improving nutrition. Stressing that nutrition forms the backbone of a healthy economy, she underlined the importance of data-driven, technology-based approaches, multi-stakeholder convergence, and sensitivity to cultural practices in family nutrition.
Dr. Sanghamitra Pati, Additional Director General, ICMR, and Director, RMRC Bhubaneswar, welcomed dignitaries and participants, noting that nutrition science today goes beyond food security to address the “double burden” of malnutrition—undernutrition alongside rising obesity. The workshop, she said, will equip participants to confront this dual challenge.
Marie-Claude Desilets, Chief of Nutrition, UNICEF India, compared nutrition to infrastructure, remarking that “healthy diets build strong people for a strong foundation.” She emphasized investing in good nutrition for mothers, children, and families as a prerequisite for a strong and developed India.
The inaugural session also witnessed the launch of several initiatives: the Nutrition Knowledge & Social and Behaviour Change Hub at ICMR-RMRC in collaboration with UNICEF; the Odisha State chapter of the Nutrition Foundation of India (NSI); an executive report on Nutritional Status and Health Risk Behaviors among Tribal Adolescents in Odisha; and a new manual titled Techniques of Nutritional Assessment: A Practical Manual.
Other speakers included Dr. Aditya Mahapatra, Additional Director, Child Health, who emphasized nutrition across life stages to break the cycle of undernutrition, and Dr. Subhendu Kumar Acharya, Scientist D and Organizing Secretary, who delivered the vote of thanks.
The workshop, which runs until September 5, will bring together experts, scholars, and practitioners from across the country to build a comprehensive understanding of nutrition from policy to community levels. Distinguished participants included Mitali Chinara, Chairperson, PG Council, Utkal University, Prof. A.B. Ota, former Director, SCSTRTI, senior UNICEF officials, university faculty, and nutrition specialists.
