A Swasth Bharat Mela was held on November 5 at Local (Khouchiezie) Ground, Kohima. The rally was organized under the theme “Eat Right India” by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, in association with Health & Family Welfare department (Food Safety Wing), government of Nagaland.
According to DIPR, the Master of Ceremonies (MC), Chandrika, highlighted the importance of the Swasth Bharat Yatra, a Pan India Cycle rally, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and ‘Salt Satyagraha’ of 1930. The yatra is also supposed to lead the nation towards freedom from diseases by spreading the message of Eat Right India to every corner of the country.
The ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’ was flagged off on October 16, 2018 (World Food Day) on six tracks from six different locations to cover almost all states and union territories and they will converge at, and culminate in, New Delhi on January 27, 2019. A hundred and fifty ‘Volunteer-Cyclists’ and an ‘Eat Right Mobile Unit’ and a Mobile Food Testing Unit comprise the convoy. They will stop-over in cities and towns and conduct activities in over 2000 locations spread over 100 days.
The main objective of the Yatra and Mela is to spread a strong message of consumer awareness on food safety. Administrator Kohima Municipal Council, Kovi Meyase, in his short speech urged the people to pass on the theme message and particularly to ‘eat less salt, sugar and fat’. He added that since Nagas have more access to organic materials, they can cultivate the habit of eating organic foods.
Chandrika led the pledge to understand and follow ‘Eat Safe, Eat Healthy, and Eat Fortified (+F)’, for all the volunteers and participants.
Slide-shows on Vashnava Jan Toh, and films on Gandhiji, Eat Right India, Swasth Bharat Yatra were shown at the program.